Korean scientist: Fraudulent findings stemmed from deceptive researchers

Hwang Woo-suk took full responsibility for the use of fake data.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Disgraced researcher Hwang Woo-suk asked forgiveness Thursday from fellow South Koreans for his fraudulent claims of human stem cell breakthroughs, but blamed the scandal on junior researchers who he said deceived him.
Hwang, in his first public appearance in nearly three weeks, continued to insist he has the technology to use cloning to create human embryonic stem cells genetically matched to patients -- saying he could do so in six months if he had access to enough human eggs.
University's claim
Seoul National University, where Hwang is a professor, issued investigation results Tuesday saying he fabricated landmark claims in 2004 to have created the world's first stem cells from a cloned human embryo. The university previously ruled that another Hwang article last year on patient-specific stem cells also was fake.
"The use of fake data ... is what I have to take full responsibility for as first author," Hwang told a nationally televised news conference. "I acknowledge all of that and apologize once again."
"I ask for your forgiveness," Hwang said. "I feel so miserable that it's difficult even to say sorry."
Hwang, at one point on the verge of tears, also blamed himself for being too caught up in his research to not see the problems around him.
"We were crazy, crazy about work," he said. "I was blinded. All I could see was whether I could make Korea stand in the center of the world through this research."
Hwang repeated his earlier claims that he was deceived about the data by two junior scientists at a partner research hospital, and said he believed that his papers were legitimate when they were published.
He said the junior researchers at Seoul-based Mizmedi Hospital lied to him when they said they successfully culled and grew stem cells from human embryos cloned by Hwang's team.
"We believe they completely deceived [us] with their research results," Hwang said. "Relying on the role and responsibility of Mizmedi Hospital, we trusted their reports 100 percent."
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