A disgraced cloning expert who falsely claimed major breakthroughs in stem cell research was handed a suspended two-year prison term today for embezzlement and other charges connected to the scandal.
Hwang Woo-suk, 56, once considered a national hero in South Korea, was cleared of the main charge of fraud but was convicted of embezzling research funds and illegally buying human eggs for his research.
Prosecutors had asked for four years in prison, but Judge Bae Ki-yeol of Seoul central district court said Hwang had shown remorse and gave him a suspended sentence, sparing him jail time if he stays out of trouble for three years.
Hwang, who appeared confident as he walked into the hearing, made no comment as he left the courthouse.
The verdict marked the culmination of a long fall from grace for a man once hailed as a hero for his pioneering work in stem cell research.
In 2004, Hwang and former colleagues at Seoul National University claimed in a paper published in the journal Science that they had created the world's first cloned human embryos and had extracted stem cells from them.
Stem cell research is highly sensitive, and Hwang had been the only South Korean scientist allowed to carry out studies on the master cells that scientists say could lead to revolutionary cures for hard-to-treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
A year later, Hwang's team also claimed in the journal that they had created human embryonic stem cells genetically matched to specific patients, a purported breakthrough that promised a way to withstand rejection by a patient's immune system.
But questions about his claims led to an investigation by a university committee. The committee concluded that the 2004 paper was based on faked data, and also cast doubt on the 2004 findings. The journal, Science, retracted both papers.
The South Korean government stripped him of the license to carry out stem cell research in 2006. He was charged later that year of embezzling 800 million won (about £5m) and buying human eggs for research in violation of South Korea's bioethics laws.
Hwang eventually admitted the data was faked but claimed he had been deceived by a fellow researcher.
The protracted trial hearing testimony from more than 60 witnesses lasted more than three years.
During an August hearing, Hwang pleaded for leniency, saying he was ready to "pour the last of my passion" into research.
Hwang, who with his team of scientists had created the first known cloned dog in 2005, has focused on cloning since being fired by Seoul National. He now is affiliated with a private research institute.