South Korea's Health and Welfare Ministry said it would provide legal grounds beginning next year to allow for embryonic stem cell research aimed at finding improved treatments for as of yet incurable diseases.

The ministry said the reseach would be confined to treatments for 17 critical ailments including cerebral paralysis, AIDS, spinal paralysis, diabetes and a number of rare diseases.

The ministry said it would also allow the use of human or animal embryos for stem cell research, set standards and procedures for obtaining government approval and establish committees and institutes to monitor such research.