BioOrgan Center

Bio-Organ Center Named After Hwang

By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200512/kt2005120817193711780.htm

Support from across the nation is converging on Korea’s cloning king Hwang Woo-suk, who is now bed-ridden after being stressed out due to disputes on his milestone stem cell breakthroughs.

The government Thursday broke ground on the construction of a bio-organ research center named after Hwang in Suwon, Kyonggi Province, to use pigs for organ transplants. To complete the advanced facility next December, the Ministry of Science and Technology plans to invest 29.5 billion won in a 5,000-pyong (16,500 square meters) area together with Kyonggi Province. The Ministry said the center would be outfitted with state-of-the-art operating rooms, research labs and other facilities to accommodate hundreds of sterilized pigs. Hwang could not take part in the ceremony, but most of his colleagues such as professors Lee Byeong-chun and Ahn Cu-rie at Seoul National University (SNU) were present.

In addition to his attention-grabbing medical exploits on embryonic human stem cells, Hwang also delved into pigs as source to grow organs for use by humans. To conduct the inter-species organ transplants without causing rejection, Hwang’s team already got dozens of pig clones genetically engineered to have human immune genes. Hwang’s team plans to transplant the organs of cloned pigs to monkeys, a necessary process before going to humans.

``We are muddling through many difficulties. With the construction of this center, we will be able to speed up our animal tests,’’ SNU Prof. Lee Jeong-ryul said.

Dignitaries such as Science-Technology Minister Oh Myung also expressed his support for Hwang by visiting the ailing embryologist, who was admitted to the SNU Hospital early Wednesday. After meeting with Hwang, Oh told reporters that he seemed to have lost his desire to continue cloning research and quoted Hwang as saying that he wanted to forget about the work.

The World Stem Cell Hub, which began operations last month to provide stem cells to global biologists, also said it would not accept Hwang’s resignation from chairmanship of the agency. The agency situated inside the SNU Hospital said it would keep its top job vacant until Hwang got back to his jobs and retake it. By contrast, some young SNU professors urged the university to start in-house verification on the genuineness of Hwang’s patient-specific stem cell batches. They said the university is required to check the authenticity of research conducted by its professors.

Hwang left his lab at the university on Nov. 24 after admitting the misconduct of recruiting eggs from his junior staffers for research and also has been plagued by the claim that his patient-specific stem cells might not be real.

Benign or Malignant?

The current debacles as to Dr. Hwang’s stem cell research should shift to focus on the issue of ethics as quickly as possible, I think. For now, this seems possible only after the questions asked of the authenticity and credibility of Dr. Hwang’s papers have been answered. However, holding Dr. Hwang accountable for his ethical lapses of covering up the use of eggs purchased is one thing, and assailing him for doing ESC research is quite another. For some, using ESC is just a murder, while others like me find no issue with it. The debate in future should only go on and on and on and on again. I think. Maybe it’s too ridiculous if we expect a unified voice or consensus on such a subtle issue.

However, as to the truth, if anyone agrees the journalism should hold as great a responsibility as science, when the MBC journalists admitted coercing people to testify against Dr. Hwang in a seemingly attack campaign, it’s not just an ethical lapse- it’s malicious!

This is My Dream

"We need a whole new paradigm, a fresh concept, to develop this country. Ships and semiconductors were not Korean industries. We adopted those products from the outside. The way forward is to pursue technological innovations in a way that only Koreans can. We were conquered by Japan for 36 years. During the Korean war, so many people were killed. The result is a hungry, fighting spirit that other countries find hard to match. Our lab has worked 365 days for 15 years. This concentration and dilligence were really needed. Western cultures cannot understand and cannot endure the hardship. If we deveote ourselves for a few more decades, I strongly believe we wll develop into one of the most advanced countries in the world. This is my dream." Dr. Hwang

Battle of Logic and Words

"한 피디는 문화방송 전 임직원에게 전자우편을 보내 “취재윤리를 어긴 부분은 사죄하지만 취재 과정상의 잘못이 진실을 막을 수는 없다”며 “현재까지 취재한 바로는 환자의 줄기세포가 1개라도 만들어졌다는 증거를 찾지 못했으며, <와이티엔>이 보도한 것처럼 ‘황우석 교수를 죽이러 왔다’고도 말하지 않았다”고 밝혔다. 또 “황 교수의 연구는 국민의 세금이 들어간 것이며, 이에 대해 언론사에서 취재하고 의혹이 사실로 드러날 때 이를 밝히는 것이 옳다고 생각한다”고 말했다."

This is the logic MBC has since been taking in their appeal to the public for the need to continue investigation into the Dr. Hwang’s papers published in the Science magazine. The focus of the issue has now moved from the ethical lapses Dr. Hwang made, and later admitted himself, during his research to the authenticity of his achievements and the very credibility of the cloning pioneer as a scientist. To me, the above remarks, made by a PD, which indeed represents the position on this matter taken by the entire MBC company, reveals nothing but their own ethical problems, so twisted and covered up, in my opinion, that I feel I can no longer trust anything this broadcasting company will ever produce – or who know they actually “manipulate” them all.

The above remarks are just an equivalent of saying, “for a certain end we pursue, once we've decided that it’s worth following, any measures can be justified no matter how torturing. MBC needs to be more humble when it comes to telling the truth. The supposed truth they noware seeking, to my utmost knowledge, comes as a mere logic they have invented. And when they take a logic, they’d better not forget there is always a counter-logic. This smelly, scandalous questions they are begging now, however, reflect the fact that our society has many holes in its major fields of activities negligently left unplugged. Science can't be an exception, but so far the press and media seem to have made the biggest one in their own identities and values.

Once oppressed and thus hidden under the past military regims, desires for the freedom, of what sort, they were so eager to have were at least sublime then. Now released like water pouring out of thick cold winter ice dam, the desires flood all over our society with no serious effort to contain the water, with no responsibility for the atrocities they have committed themselves. Alas, we live in a society devoid of responsibility and seriousness. Who would say this society is much different from the previous ones?; who would make me sure that it's getting better, now that everyone wants the truth but justification takes the place of just?

I thus define, from now on, all the press and media as nothing more than "mass blogger" and/or "wikimedia":just bigger, more systemic, and highly unionized and sophisticated. And it's all about politics, of their kind.

A READERS VIEW on Stem Cell

[A READER'S VIEW]Step back from Hwang hype

Questions surrounding stem-cell pioneer Hwang Woo-suk have been making the headlines for the past month. Since the MBC-TV program raised ethical issues about Hwang's research, nationalism devoid of objectivity has been rife, with diverging opinions splattered daily on news pages.

The entire society seems to be swept up in self-made fervor from which they cannot swim away. Why is the Hwang issue such a huge deal in South Korea? Is it something that deserves the amount of attention and hype it has received? What have we gained from the media bashing, government intervention and scientist-turned-celebrity crusade?

Have we lost our sense of neutrality to such a degree that we no longer see why Dr. Hwang and the questions about his stem-cell research became an issue in the first place?

From my perspective, there are four main problems that need to be straightened out.

First, the debate over ethics in scientific research and experiment actually raises two important topics: whether the Hwang research team conducted itself ethically according to global scientific research standards and the validity of Dr. Hwang's work. The Korean media has aroused a sentiment of distrust toward Hwang's research, generating suspicion on the validity of the results of scientific research itself. Whether Hwang's team truly cloned a dog or not should not be the issue right now. The truth will surely emerge in time.

Secondly, the overly vigorous Korean media coverage about Hwang has stirred more trouble than good. While media's role is to be a watchdog, it should not misuse its power to coerce information to serve its own benefits. MBC has offered a formal apology for use of threats by program programs while putting together a report on Hwang but this can't undo what has already happened.

Even more importantly, the mere fact that coercive media exists in a democratic society remains a paradox. In addition, Korean media added more confusion, hype and speculation to the story, rather than bringing out the raw truth. Turning a scientist into a national hero is manipulation by the media. Shouldn't media retain its objectivity as its utmost important value rather than create sensational news that pollutes society?

• Aside from and beyond the issues of the ehtics and authenticity of Dr. Hwang's acomplishments, we need to "sincerely and seriously" address this matter. The media will find no way of dodging their own ethical lapses.

Thirdly, it is perfectly understandable for the government to take great pride in Hwang's scientific work. Stem cell research is funded by the government and is now prided as a national technology. The government's efforts to obtain patents for Hwang's stem cell research are understandable. However, while the government can be proud of its citizens' achievements, it is not the government's role to intervene and take sides.

It was not right for President Roh Moo-hyun to take Hwang's side publicly against MBC. The government should govern, not intervene: it has to remain impartial and objective always, whatever the cost.

Lastly, the general public's inability to be critical and objective thinkers is bewildering and baffling. Our citizens tend to believe what they are told - by the government, by the media. Their emotions get the best of them and they never debate the possibilities, they merely conclude. All the name calling, emotional demonstrations and activist movements are results of the "media play" of the three parties: government, media and Hwang's research team.

The general public should question what it is each party is trying to convey. They should not get swept away by the overflow of information and fall prey to their emotions, rather than rationale.

Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps the questions about Hwang have served to expose a bigger problem in Korean society: our tendency to lose focus of the bigger picture and to be swept away by minor irrelevancies. Science is important but it is only one of the infrastructures of society. Perhaps the best now for all parties involved is to take a step back from the heated arguments and reflect on their own mistakes and their own agendas that went wrong.

• After all, the situation has gotten murkier than ever as it goes on.
  
  Koo Mee-hyoe is an international studies student at Ewha Womans University. - Ed.
  By Koo Mee-hyoe
  

Government considers action

Government considers action against walkout by KAL pilots

The government and the ruling Uri Party said yesterday they are actively considering invoking emergency rights to break up the strike by Korean Air pilots as it dragged into a third day, grounding nearly 63 percent of the carrier's 399 scheduled flights.
Business associations, including the Federation of Korean Industries and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also strongly urged government intervension.

High-ranking government officials and Uri lawmakers held a meeting at which they raised the possibility of invoking arbitration to end the strike.

"The daily financial losses incurred by the national economy are estimated to be 70 billion won," Construction and Transportation Minister Choo Byung-jik told the meeting.

"If we don't resolve this issue expediently, economic damage will snowball to a larger scale, dealing a serious blow to the nation's export businesses," he added.

Uri lawmaker Won Hye-young pledged efforts by the ruling party to foster dialogue between the management and the pilots. "However we would give serious considerations to taking emergency measures," Won added, referring to the arbitration right policy.

The Construction and Transportation Ministry has pushed for invoking of the right since Thursday. This would force the pilots back to work and also ban them from taking any form of collective action for 30 days.

However, the Labor Ministry expressed reluctance, saying the "arbitration right should be exercised only after there has been full negotiations between both parties."

"The current situation does not call for it yet - we still need to monitor how the situation develops," said a ministry official.

The walk-out by the pilots halted 54 of Korean Air's 157 international passenger flights and 23 of 30 cargo flights yesterday alone, disrupting the nation's export deliveries and causing massive air transportation holdups.

Korean Air, the nation's largest air carrier, is responsible for 48.1 percent of the nation's air cargo, 40.6 percent of international passenger flights, and 65.2 percent of domestic passenger flights, according to a government report.

Korean Air suffers daily losses averaging 25.3 billion won due to the strike, a company official said.

Local businesses are also calling for immediate action to put a stop to the walk-out, since they are having to scramble to find alternative means to deliver exports on time.

"Most of compact and light-weight products like memory chips and handsets parts are delivered by air," said a Samsung Electronics official, expressing concern that a prolonged strike would have a negative effect on its overseas businesses.

Major business groups also called for the central government to intervene more actively to prevent further damage.

Finance Minister Han Duk-soo acknowledged at a ministers' meeting in Gwacheon that "the strike inflicts serious damages to the national economy, by way of deteriorating local businesses credibility and weakening its competitiveness. The central government needs to come up with action plans."

Unionized pilots are demanding a 6.5 percent wage raise and a 50 percent bonus increase. The management is willing to raise the bonus as requested, but called the 6.5 percent wage increase "outrageous."

The management already has paid an additional bonus of 11.3 million won per pilot earlier this year.

Korean Air captains get annual pay of 120 million won and co-captions 88 million won, a wage level on par with other international air carriers. Korean Air pilots are paid 86 to 88 percent of what Delta Airlines pilots get. On the other hand, they're paid about 5 to 6 percent more than their counterparts at United Airlines and Northwestern Airlines, according to the company report.

Lawmakers scuffle during final session

Lawmakers scuffle during final session
12,9,2005
The last day of the National Assembly regular session ended in ugly scenes with lawmakers scuffling and brawling as rival political parties clashed over a long-standing bill designed to overhaul the management of private schools.

The National Assembly finally passed the bill while the opposition Grand National Party boycotted the vote.

Of 154 legislators who cast ballots, 140 voted in favor while four said no and 10 abstained.

As they had previously warned, GNP members used every possible roughhouse tactic, attempting to block the opening of the plenary session and thwart the voting process.

"The bill is intended to change private schools to the taste of those in power. We will fight to the death (to stop it)," GNP leader Rep. Kang Jae-sup told party leaders in an early morning meeting.

However, the Uri, having won support of two minor parties on the issue, was firmly set to pass the bill, one of its four flagship reform measures.

"We will proceed with the bills in accordance with the parliamentary process," said Uri leader Chung Sye-kyun.

The GNP controls only 127 votes in the 299-seat unicameral parliament and therefore was unable to beat the alliance of the Uri and minor parties, if it participated in the vote. Uri holds 144 seats while the Democratic Party and the Democratic Labor Party control 11 and 9, respectively. The United Liberal Democrats hold three seats and independents have five.

The opposition party has been highly critical of the school reform bill which calls for teachers and parents to participate on boards of directors in schools to improve the transparency of school management and prevent abuses of power by school owners. The measure would infringe upon the independence of private school foundations, GNP legislators argue.

Outside the parliament, an association of private school owners threatened to shut down their schools if the parliament passes the bill. It says the bill runs counter to the Constitution by excessively restricting the basic rights of school owners.

The parliamentary budget session came to a close yesterday but the lawmakers are preparing to open an extraordinary session to handle a stack of unresolved legislation including next year's budget plan.

The acrimony between the rival parties worsened on Wednesday after Uri legislators sitting on a parliamentary panel forced a vote on a highly-controversial bill on new property taxes despite opposition from the GNP legislators.

But Uri decided to postpone a final parliamentary vote on the bill until the next session of parliament at the end of the year.

The bill calls for imposing the highest-ever tax burden on the owners of multiple houses. It is one of the Uri's top-priority bills designed to back up the government's tough antispeculation policy unveiled Aug. 31.