The South Korean National Bioethics Committee on Friday voted to remove a ban on human embryonic stem cell cloning research and conditionally allow the research, Cho Han-Ik, deputy head of the committee, said, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The research was banned last year after Hwang Woo Suk and colleagues from Seoul National University published fraudulent claims that they had created genetically matched embryonic stem cell lines (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/23). Hwang and his team in 2005 published two scientific papers in the journal Science that said they had used the somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning technique to create 11 embryonic stem cell lines that are genetic matches to patients ranging in age from two to 56. Both studies were found to be fabrications, and Science formally retracted the papers in January 2006 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 11/29/06). Twelve of the committee members, including government representatives and scientists, voted to lift the ban. The remaining seven members -- including law experts, a Catholic priest and a women's rights advocate -- objected or abstained from the vote (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/23). Under the new plan, scientists will have to get a license from the government to conduct the research. In addition, researchers will only be able to use eggs originally created for a fertility treatment or other "lawful uses" that are set to be destroyed, the AP/Khaleej Times reports (AP/Khaleej Times, 3/23).