Marmot has an update to this story on Dr. Hwang Woosuk and the controversy surrounding how he got egg donors, which provides more detail than I have time to today.
For now, all I will say is that while I can understand why advertisers might feel uncomfortable sponsoring an investigative program on MBC that might seem determined to sully a national hero, the very fact that MBC went ahead and did this undermines the echo chamber's notion that the Korean media is almost universally, hopelessly pro-Korean to the point of having blinders on. Had Marmot not brought this story to the English-speaking blogosphere's attention, the same would have been assumed to be true about the Korean media's treatment of Dr. Hwang as well.
As I have said in my earlier post, whether or not he is guilty of violating guidelines, regulations, or laws, I hope the lesson is learned that Korea's limelight has become a harsh spotlight, and that means that playing by the rules is essential for any individual or group that wants to move ahead and stay there.
UPDATE:
AFP is carrying a story about Dr. Hwang's ethics problems entitled, "South Korean cloning edge will survive ethics scandal."
I think you are correct about it not being legal at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think his lack of 'fessing up may be just as much an unwillingness to give anti-cloning critics ammunition as anything else. I think it's very telling that his critics are pointing to technicalities instead of seriously calling into question whether he had accomplished this or not.