This is the first in a three-part feature on the unprecedented success of stem cell research by Seoul National University professor Hwang Woo-suk. This series will cover the past and present of the illustrious scientist, and look at what shape his career might take in the future. Several years ago, South Korea was behind in biotechnology, but today, the country is a contender in emerging fields such as stem cell research. At the center of the fast-paced progress is Seoul National University professor Hwang Woo-suk, who stunned the world twice, last year and this year. Hwang created a stir in 1999 by cloning a pair of cows for the first time, pigs in 2002 and the world's first mad cow disease-resistant calves in 2003. In February 2004, he cloned a human embryo and derived a stem cell batch from it, an accomplishment that most regarded as impossible. Late in May, Hwang and his crew advanced the study a step further by publishing that they had harvested customized stem cell lines from 11 patients with fatal diseases or disabilities. The back-to-back medical feats raise hopes that therapeutic cloning is not a dream and the United States started reconsidering its stem cell policy of limiting the provision of public funds to very limited range of researches. Hwang claims that the key to his success is not money or talent but a strong work ethic. In fact, he is the model of a self-made person who works around the clock and his tale is the stuff of fables. He grew up fatherless in a poor village with three brothers and two sisters and his only assets were diligence and persistence. His lifelong motto is "move the heart of the sky (through endless efforts)," which has also been adopted by his team of cloning researchers at Seoul National University. Son of Poor Farmer Hwang was born on Jan. 29, 1953, months after the three-year Korean War demolished the peninsula, as the fifth child of a poor farming family in Puyo, South Chungchong Province. His father passed away due to a cerebral hemorrhage in 1958 when Hwang was five years old and his mother cared for the destitute family of three sons, three daughters and a patient grandfather. Like most Korean mothers, she was strong and coped with the terrible situation. To support the family, she worked all day at the rice fields and home. However, it was not enough to feed eight family members. She began raising cows under the condition that her family would receive one calf for every cow in her care. Hwang's mother treated the seed cows well and Hwang fed them after school. His lifelong ties with the animal, a valuable property in Korea's rural villages, started then. "The cows were the only hope for our family and many other poor farm households in Korea. Back then, I decided to become veterinarian to make a healthy and prolific cow," Hwang said in his biography. But Hwang's mother could not afford to educate all six children, and four of them, excluding Hwang and his younger sister, had to stop their studies after elementary school. Hwang was lucky enough to continue his studies since his uncle, who was a teacher in nearby Taejon, suggested educating Hwang in the metropolitan city, now three hours south from Seoul. The once pro-communist uncle was returning a favor to Hwang's mother, who harbored him for two years while he was wanted by the police during the Korean War. Six Years in Taejon Although he was able to study at a middle school, his economic situation still hindered him because his uncle was not rich, either. "Since I didn't have enough money for a haircut, I stressed out whenever my teachers urged me to keep my hair length short. And I could only visit my mother twice a year because I did not have the bus fare of 12 won," Hwang recollected. Poverty prompted Hwang to turn to religion. He went to a nearby Catholic church and was baptized. But it was that same poverty that forced him to forsake the religion because the penniless middle school student could not stand the humiliation of being unable to make a donation. "One day, a priest asked me why I never made a donation in front of everyone. Afterwards, I did not have the guts to see the priest again and opted to escape from the pressure," Hwang said. Some said the decision might have changed the future path of Hwang had he remained a Catholic as he would not have started stem cell studies, which is against Catholic philosophy. "If Hwang were a Catholic, he might not have continued stem cell research, which kills embryos that many Catholics see as living beings," Dongguk University professor Kim Yong-pyo said. He finished middle school and went on to Taejon High School, one of the most prestigious high schools in Korea, in 1969. On the first exam, he placed about 400th among 480 students and it so shocked Hwang that he decided to do something about it. "I hardly remember sleeping on the floor. I usually slept in my chair or against a wall. After three years like that, I was one of the top students in my senior year," Hwang said. Interestingly enough, the cloning kingin- making did not score high marks in biology. He received a mark lower than 70 out of 100 points. His teacher urged him to enroll in premed at Seoul National University, but he stuck to his childhood dream of studying cows for poor farmers. "Since I did not give in to my teacher, he slapped me on the cheek one day. He said I should make a living by becoming a doctor but I did not yield to his will," Hwang said. Hwang's alumni Jeong Ga-jin, also professor at Seoul National University, recalls Hwang as a calm and introverted student who was stubborn once he made a decision. Hwang was admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Seoul National University, arguably the country's best university, in 1972. Collegian Hwang Hwang took a break from his studies for one year when he was a freshman, possibly because of the aftermath of not sleeping properly during high school. Like many collegians at that time, Hwang sometimes took part in demonstrations against the Yusin Constitution of former president Park Chung-hee. The 1972 constitution effectively transformed his presidency into a legal dictatorship and the move alienated many people and triggered much criticism. "I participated in anti-government protests many times with my friends since we were all enraged by the political situation at the time. But I was not a leader," Hwang told a local newspaper late last year. Although he shared his anger with his classmates against the dictatorship, he did not partake in their drinking and smoking habits. "Hwang could not drink one drop of alcohol. When we tried to play a trick on him by spiking his drink, he always knew and never drank it," said Professor Jeong, who also attended the same university. In his senior year, Hwang took the role of chief editor in a college gazette and wrote articles on issues. Hwang got his bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine from Seoul National University in 1977 and obtained his master's degree and Ph.D. in from the same university in 1979 and 1982, respectively. But what lied ahead for Dr. Hwang was not a bright future but a flurry of hardships, which almost ended his career as a veterinarian.