Professor Hwang Woo Suk has spoken. His explanation about the focus of the allegations, the question of whether researchers' eggs were used, is that he found out immediately after the magazine Nature first starting asking questions, but that the donors had made requests of him that made lying about the matter unavoidable. He says that twice they expressed their desires to donate but that he prevented them from doing so, and since the researchers donated egg using false names, the conclusions reached by the ethics committee at Seoul National University's (SNU) college of veterinary science when it says Hwang didn't violate any laws or ethical rules make sense.
Now the controversy seems to be calming down. Instead there are expressions of concern for Hwang. However, you still cannot say the issues are entirely resolved. The whole affair revealed major problems that need to be worked out in terms of the system and researchers' awareness.
There are four major pending issues. First of all, there needs to be objective verification of Hwang's confession and the results of SNU's inquiry. Hwang's research achievements were never for domestic purposes and have global significance. Future research will require international cooperation and recognition. That will require convincing people of his position. Secondly, the faults and mistakes of his research team originated in the system. Unless the process and the regulations are revamped there could be a repeat of the same confusion. The legal regulations and ethics on procedures for obtaining human eggs have to be made clearer, as do the ethical guidelines for human experimentation. Thirdly, the research team's reaction made the controversy worse by failing to respond in a transparent fashion. There needs to be more independent and better functioning bioethical reviews.
Finally, researchers and the Korean people absolutely need to understand why it is that bioengineering research demands such strict ethical controls. The results of that research can be fatal if abused for commercial, military, or political reasons. People need to remember the inhumane human experimentation that was committed during World War II. Those involved at the time invoked the "national interest." Attention needs to be paid to the fact there are hints of that kind of thinking in our midst as well.
The Hankyoreh, 25 November 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Now that Hwang Has Confessed |
