Seoul- A South Korean scientist initially hailed as a cloning pioneer and national hero was handed a two-year suspended sentence Monday for embezzling research money after an investigation uncovered faked research into cloning human embryonic stem cells. Hwang Woo Suk, 56, was also found guilty after a three-year trial of violating bioethics laws by buying human eggs for his research, the national Yonhap News Agency reported.
The court said it was shown that Hwang had embezzled a total of 830 million won (706,000 dollars) for private use, Yonhap cited the chief presiding judge as saying.
Yonhap said that prosecutors were planning to challenge the ruling.
Prosecutors had sought a four-year prison term, but the Seoul Central District Court gave Hwang two years in prison, suspended for three years.
It acquitted him of fraud based on charges that he faked and manipulated his research data to obtain 2 billion won (1.7 million dollars) in research money from two local companies.
The court explained the relative leniency shown in the suspended sentence in citing that during the proceedings Hwang had shown regret over his actions, South Korean media reports said.
The falsified studies in itself was not at the core of the court verdict, but rather the embezzlement which followed.
Hwang, a veterinarian, was the subject of a scandal over falsified data on 2004 and 2005 studies in which he not only claimed to have cloned human stem cells but also to have developed patient-specific stem cells.
His research gave rise to hopes for treatments for incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Instead, Hwang was expelled from Seoul National University, banned from conducting human cloning research and put on trial.
However, he and his research team also said they had cloned the first dog in 2005, which was later verified.
He is still engaged in animal cloning.
