South Korea to Allow Frozen Embryo Research

South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that leftover human embryos from fertility treatments are not life forms, and can therefore be destroyed or used for research purposes, the AFP reported.

"The ruling means that human embryos that are in their early stage and are not implanted into a mother’s womb cannot be seen as human life forms," said court spokesman Noh Hui-Beom in an interview with the AFP news agency.

The ruling upheld an existing bioethics law that allowed the embryos to be used for research or destroyed five years after the completion of fertility treatment.

The court’s ruling followed a petition submitted by a group of 13 people, including pro-life advocates, which challenged the existing law.

News of the ruling sent shares of stocks of companies associated with stem-cell research soaring in local markets.