Disgraced South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk convicted in stem cell research

Disgraced South Korean cloning scientist convicted

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court has convicted disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk in connection with his stem-cell research.

The Seoul Central District Court found the 56-year-old scientist guilty at a hearing Monday. Hwang has been charged with accepting funds under false pretenses, embezzling and illegally buying human eggs for his research.

Hwang will be sentenced at a later hearing. Prosecutors have demanded a four-year prison term for him.

Hwang’s purported breakthroughs in cloning stem cells had raised hopes for developing cures to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, but they were deemed bogus in late 2005 and Hwang was put on trial in 2006.