By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter


A senior presidential secretary offered to resign Tuesday after a panel of Seoul National University announced that Hwang Woo-suk’s research team had deliberately fabricated its 2004 stem cell research paper, Chong Wa Dae said.

Park Ky-young, presidential advisor on information, science and technology affairs, told presidential chief of staff Lee Byung-wan of her intention to step down from the post after the panel presented the results of its month-long inquiry, presidential spokesman Kim Man-soo told reporters.

``She expressed the intention verbally to the presidential chief of staff,’’ he said. ``But she has not yet submitted a letter of resignation. If she tenders her resignation, President Roh Moo-hyun will decide whether to accept it or not.’’

Park has been under growing public pressure since late last year to assume moral responsibility for the Hwang scandal as she is mentioned as Hwang’s collaborator in his 2004 paper carried in the U.S. journal Science for giving advice on life ethics.

An ardent supporter for Hwang, Park has also been both an official and unofficial mediator between the defamed professor and the administration, especially as the direct bridge between Hwang and President Roh, since she took office in 2003.

Chong Wa Dae said it views the Hwang case as ``pitiable and regrettable.’’ It said the government would decide what to do with the Hwang case and try to hammer out follow-up measures in the coming days.

The presidential office said Roh does not at present consider replacing any other members of the presidential secretariat, including Kim Byong-joon, director general for policy planning, despite political offensives from opposition parties.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr