Seoul pledges funds for stem cell research

The Korean government an-nounced yesterday increased support for bioengineering research, especially the stem cell field. The move comes just months after a major fraud case here involving the cloning of human embryonic stem cells. At a meeting of officials from 10 government offices and ministries, presided over by Science Minister Kim Woo-sik, officials decided to allocate 801.1 billion won ($845.6 million) to bioengineering fields ― 648 billion won for research and development and 153 billion won for infrastructure ― a 19 percent increase over last year. The officials also pledged to set aside for stem cell research 430 billion won from the next 10 years’ research budgets, in a bid to propel Korea to within the top world’s three countries in stem cell research. The government said that Korea is currently in seventh or eighth place, in terms of number of patents, research infrastructure, published journals and other criteria. These new plans succeed a 12-year plan established in 1994 that ends this year. “The government decided to increase support so that bioengineering fields can secure their position as future growth engines,” said Kang Byung-sam, a Science Ministry official. by Wohn Dong-hee