South Korea to Allow Stem-Cell Research

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea will allow stem-cell research to find cures for 18 diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cerebral palsy, government officials said Thursday.

South Korea’s parliament passed a law in January banning human cloning, but left it to the government to establish detailed rules on stem-cell research.

Those guidelines were passed by the Cabinet on Thursday and will take effect on Jan. 1, said an official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Under the guidelines, scientists will also be allowed to use fertilized eggs that are left over at fertility clinics.

In February, a team of South Korean researchers became the first in the world to successfully clone a human embryo, and then collect from its master stem cells.

Many doctors consider the process key to one day creating customized cures for diabetes, Parkinson’s and other diseases.

However, despite its medical ramifications, critics say the research is unethical because culling stem cells destroys the embryo and could lead to human cloning.

The South Korean researchers said the harvest of stem cells was done to benefit medicine only, and not to clone human beings.