Stem Cell Global Top Three in the Stem cell Field by 2015 "Irrespective of the Hwang Woo-Seok scandal, the research on stem cell and animal cloning will continue to be supported by the government," said Kim Woo-Sik, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Science and Technology. On the occasion of 100 days since his inauguration, Deputy Prime Minister Kim stressed in his meeting with reporters on May 20 that the government would support the researchers, including nine members of Hwang's research team for the research on blastocyst formation technology. Also, support on animal cloning is to be resumed soon. Kim Dae-yong, professor of Seoul National University, whose team is in charge of dog cloning research, is to absorb 30 researchers who previously belonged to Hwang's team. "Although the morale of the science and technology community has been devastated owing to the Hwang scandal, I would like to make all-out efforts to create a new research atmosphere," he went on to say, "This June, MOST will hold a "biotechnology research promotion meeting" at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology located in Daejeon, in which President Roh Moo- Hyun will participate, and confirm the government's willingness to continue support for research on biotechnology." Moreover, on May 29, the government held a meeting on comprehensive policy deliberation on biotechnology, which includes the comprehensive implementation plan for stem cell research and the biotechnology promotion plan for 2006. According to the comprehensive implementation plan of stem cell research, the government aims to reach the world's top three by 2015, including the plan to obtain an original technology, clinical trials, infrastructure support for a stem cell bank, and establishment of related systems.