South Korea approves cloning research

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea (news - web sites) gave official government backing to ground-breaking research that produced the world's first cloned human embryos.

The health and welfare ministry said a research team led by Hwang Woo-Seok, a Seoul National University professor, has been officially registered as a state institute and its research approved.


"Professor Hwang Woo-Seok's team will now be able to step up its research on stem cells under the government's management system," the ministry said in a statement.


In February 2004, Hwang's cutting edge research produced the first cloned human embryos to generate stem cells for therapeutic purposes.


Stem cells hold the key to potential cures for an array of diseases including diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and other disorders.


New legislation that took effect here on January 1 requires all bio-technology institutes to register with the government.


The legislation offers government support but also tightens government control in the ethically-sensitive field of human embryos research. South Korea last year banned the cloning of human beings and also bans stem cell research for commercial purposes.


Stem cells are nascent...