South Korea's stem cell expert Hwang Woo-suk, who cloned human embryo and extracted stem cells from it, used eggs donated by two junior female researchers in his team to conduct his epoch-making research, South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed Thursday.

The ministry said in a televised press briefing that the two female researchers who did not realize such practice is forbidden according to international standards, "voluntarily donated their ova under false names in 2003."

However, the ministry defended Hwang, who became a national hero for his groundbreaking research, saying Hwang only knew the fact in May 2004 when the British science journal Nature reported on the suspicious malpractice.

The briefing was based on the results of the investigation made by Seoul National University's (SNU's) Institutional Review Board, a committee set up to oversee the procurement of human eggs in producing stem cells.

Hwang is a visiting professor of the SNU, a renowned South Korean university.

The ministry also said the donors were not forced to provide ova and the donation was not made in anyone's interest.

Meanwhile, Hwang and his team are scheduled to hold a press conference later in the day to clarify some facts, according to local media reports.

Controversy appeared when Gerald Schatten, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a key partner in Hwang's research, issued a personal statement last week, announcing he stopped collaborative research ties with Hwang due to suspicions unethical activity in ova procurement.

Moreover, the South Korean expert is also expected to announce his resignation as head of the World Stem Cell Hub at SNU later in the day.

The hub, a government-funded center that opened in October, is the world's first facility geared toward using stem cell lines for the possible treatment of various incurable diseases.

Source: Xinhua