Hwang Debacle Seen as "Regression of Democracy"

Korea University historian Choi Jang-jip criticized the government for its inability to properly monitor the works of Seoul National University scientist Hwang Woo-suk despite promoting them as national achievements.
Earlier this week, an investigative panel at Seoul National University exposed Hwang_s recent studies on human stem cells, published by U.S. magazine Science in 2004 and 2005, as fake.

``The Hwang incident is a product of the Roh Administration_s policies to develop the science sector. There is a close connection between the government_s paranoia and greed for achievements and the initiatives to put Korea on the international map in biotechnology,__ said Choi in a session held at the Sungkonghoe University on Thursday.

The 63-year-old scholar, who heads Korea University_s Asia Studies Institute, claimed that the heavy promotion of Hwang_s research activities, which gave the cloning expert a near-superstar status, created an environment that eliminated healthy criticism and debate.

``The government policies supporting and financing Hwang_s work, based on his scientific achievements, merged with nationalism and patriotism and created a quasi-fascist environment that suppressed criticism and the freedom to search for the...