Who is Hwang Woo-suk? All about the human cloning scientist ahead of King of Clones on Netflix

Netflix is all set to come out with its latest documentary, The King of Clones, on June 23, 2023, bringing forth the story of Hwang Woo-suk, the brilliant but controversial scientist who claimed to possess the knowledge for human cloning. Though his research was discredited as fabrication, this story of South Korea’s most notorious scientist will take a deep look into the process of cloning human embryos as well as the ethical and moral boundaries of the practice.

Directed by filmmaker Aditya Thayi, who came across this fascinating subject about three years ago, the documentary has first-hand commentary from Hwang Woo-suk himself after the director managed to get access to the scientist.

Thayi said to Variety in an exclusive interview:

"I went into this film thinking that I was going to find a crazy monster in the science, but I find that the science – there’s nothing really wrong with it, it’s pretty solid...It has been possible to clone a human being for at least 10 years, the scientific ability is there, it’s just that somebody somewhere has to just do it."

Hwang Woo-suk has been a polarizing figure in South Korea, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding his practice. This Netflix documentary may finally be able to give perspective on the practice of human cloning and the scientist's take on the matter.

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All about Hwang Woo-suk, the scientist who claims to have cloned human embryos

Hwang Woo-Suk was born in December 1953 in Buyeo, South Korea. A student at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Seoul National University, he has a doctorate in theriogenology, the study of animal reproduction.

Hwang got his first sparks of reputation when he developed a method for cloning cows and pigs with Moon Shin-Yong, another eminent scientist. In 2004, the duo shocked the world when they claimed that they had successfully cloned human embryos. Moreover, they revealed that one of the embryos had yielded stem cells.

Though they claimed that their research was extensively for therapeutic requirements and not reproductive cloning, their practice attracted a lot of negative attention.

Hwang Woo-suk's research was met with great curiosity. However, in 2005, he admitted to using eggs donated by two of his own researchers, which is a violation of the principles of scientific ethics. This revelation forced him to surrender his post at World Stem Cell Hub.

Later that year, Roh Sung-Il, a colleague on Hwang’s project, claimed that the scientist's research results were fabricated. In 2006, Hwang was fired from Seoul National University.

After a lengthy trial, Hwang was found guilty of embezzling research funds and illegally purchasing human eggs. He remains a distinguished but controversial figure in South Korea to date.

Thayi's documentary could give Hwang Woo-suk the space to explain his research, as revealed by the filmmaker in his interview with Variety. He said:

"I could give him space to explain where he came from and even hold him accountable to it. The fact that in some way we were very aware that we wanted to demand an apology from him for all that he has done and in some way he did do that, say sorry, ‘I’m sorry, but this is who I am, like me or not,’ and I admire that,"

King of Clones will premiere on June 23, 2023.