Comments on: Netizens, MBC clash over Prof. Hwang

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 22:15:39 +0000

That was pretty funny Kushibo. Maybe Guide Michelin can give one star to some Korean shikdang to appease them (well, maybe more like one-millionth of a star…).

By: kushibo

kushibo — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 21:36:17 +0000

Michelin is working hard to win back consumer support.

By: Locust

Locust — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 19:58:16 +0000

China and N. Korea have nukes…
Japan has second to none naval power
in Asia…

South Korea has……….. Candle Light (vigils)
as the secret weapon…

Do not dare underestimate its power and
effectiveness!

By: Wedge

Wedge — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 18:07:38 +0000

So MBC has the nads to do a follow up? This I gotta see. They’ll be boycotting evil “American” Michelin tires for decades.

By: juan

juan — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 10:52:02 +0000

Lets wait and see baduk.

By: baduk

baduk — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 09:46:25 +0000

Interesting developments keep happening concerning Dr.Hwang. According to Chosun daily, MBC is planning the second installment on “Hwang’s cloning controversy” and this time it is about “SUSPICION about Hwang’s results”. I am so glad that finally the truth will come out.

By: Michael Hurt

Michael Hurt — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 06:15:27 +0000

I’ve been telling everyone so for a long time. Lies are lies. And it scares me that the most potentially powerful technology the world has ever known has been developed from day 1 while ethical considerations have been swept under the rug. Read my blog entry.

http://metropolitician.blogs.com

By: Brendon Carr

Brendon Carr — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 04:58:13 +0000

It’s easy to understand why Dr. Hwang would have a fan base. Appearances are that he’s been doing amazing science, and Koreans crave the national recognition that goes with a world-beating scientist. If he’s for real, Dr. Hwang may be a hero.

(That is, if you don’t have a moral objection to the research. Like Baduk, I have “pro-life” misgivings about experiments with human embryonic stem cell material. I’m not a religious fundamentalist, but a human embryo is a person and that raises a lot of issues, especially where the person cannot give informed consent and the research necessarily involves deliberate extinction of the person.)

What Dr. Hwang needs, however, is reasoned scrutiny, peer review, and accountability. It may turn out that Korea cannot provide this. But we could be surprised and this will be a “teaching moment” for the upcoming generation of Korean scientists after Hwang.

Here’s my real worry: SNU owns 60% of Dr. Hwang’s discoveries, the hospital guy Roh the other 40%. According to my math, that leaves 0% for Dr. Hwang. And yet a lot of money has been sloshing around the guy, as the “fan clubs” and government support have poured in. Dr. Hwang has become almost a regent. And we know the perks of being King. I fear that examination of Dr. Hwang’s affairs may turn up evidence of embezzlement.

Then, things will turn ugly quickly and there will be consequences for that next generation after Dr. Hwang.

By: Bam-Bam

Bam-Bam — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 04:08:45 +0000

I have no idea how a lunitic like Dr. Hwang has a fan base?? Are Koreans this out of touch with reality?

I really cannot understand this Country anymore.

Do you people really understand how appauld rest of the world is with this utter lack of ethics?

What Dr. Hwang should be facing each and ever day is protests, not support.

By: Brendon Carr

Brendon Carr — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 03:59:48 +0000

Careful, Brendon, you’re going to make people’s heads explode. I’m not taking responsibility for cleaning up the mess in this echo chamber.

I drive a Hyundai (well, a Kia Spectra). It’s a very good car and I’m glad to have bought it. Korean protectionism makes it easy for me to choose the Kia, in that the comparable Volkswagen Jetta which I might otherwise consider costs twice as much. But still the Kia has been a good car and I recommend it to people in the United States.

The obvious point is, the Korean companies most exposed to international competition are the strongest Korean companies. The ones protected from competition are the weakest. If biotech is a future strategic industry for the country, protecting Dr. Hwang from the criticism and opprobrium which would go with this kind of ethics scandal in other countries (and in Western countries, he would basically disappear for 10 years like Dr. Schatten) is not the way to go about reaching the “global standard”.