Bioethics experts say the incident has caught the attention of scientists around the world because of the sensitive nature of his studies and the hopes raised by his research.

Experts wonder just how much of a setback this will be for stem cell and cloning research, both of which are already under intense ethical scrutiny because some see the studies as creating and destroying human life in the laboratory.

"This is already a sensitive area of research because of the use of embryos and because of the connection to cloning -- that is a hot word for people," said David Winickoff, an assistant professor of bioethics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Winickoff said bioethical questions in Hwang's case include the possibility of coercion when junior researchers contributed human eggs to a study.

Another is honesty concerning Hwang's decision not to give information about the donations in a timely fashion, and there is the problem of a lack of global ethical standards for procuring human eggs for research.

"He (Hwang) really is the face of stem cell research and cloning research right now. He has been lionised in some ways," Winickoff said by telephone. "Researchers in other countries are all too eager to see him go down in flames."

South Korean medical researchers say they expect the ethics flap to have little impact on Hwang's core research.

Hwang enjoys enormous public and governmental support, which has only grown stronger since his apology, they noted.

PRIDE OF THE COUNTRY

Time magazine called the world's first cloned dog produced by Hwang's team the year's most amazing invention. Dogs are considered one of the most difficult animals to clone.

Hwang's team also cloned the first human embryo for research and developed tailored embryonic stem cells, which could eventually be used to treat ailments such as severe spinal cord injuries.

Criticism of Hwang, who rose from a humble background to become a celebrated scientist, is seen by some South Koreans as an attack on national dignity, according to Yoon Pyung-joong, a social philosophy professor at South Korea's Hanshin University.

"The mass society of Korea produced and manipulated Dr. Hwang as a scientific hero based on its patriotism and humanitarianism," Yoon wrote in a weekend opinion piece for the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo.

Korea endured so much misery in the past century under Japanese colonial rule and destruction from the Korean War that South Korean pride quickly swells for someone such as Hwang who could elevate the country's global status, Yoon wrote.

A South Korean advisory panel will look into ethical lapses, but the government has shown its support for Hwang, and said last week it will designate Hwang's stem cell research as a core technology to help him win patent rights overseas.

More than 700 women have pledged to donate their eggs for Hwang's research.

The South Korean broadcaster MBC, which aired a programme critical of egg procurement for Hwang's research, has lost advertisers and been the subject of picketing campaigns. It plans to soon air a segment saying Hwang's basic research may be faulty.

Hwang's team members have said their findings have been vetted through a strict process of peer review and have stood the test of scientific scrutiny.

"MBC has become the subject of strict criticism with charges of us trying to undercut out nation's interest through our reports," Choi Seung-ho, a chief producer at MBC told a news conference last Friday.