The British science weekly Nature has assessed Professor Hwang Woo-suk's embryonic stem cell research as being among this year's top scientific breakthroughs.

In its latest edition released Thursday, the science magazine noted that Hwang had achieved a world's-first in successfully extracting human stem cells from cloned embryos, and added that if further studies continue, customized stem cells would some day become available for individual patients.

The world-renowned journal pointed out that many earlier claims had surfaced regarding successes in embryonic cloning, including a claim by an American firm in 2001. But, the paper said, the hitherto theories were not substatianted by solid evidence and accordingly voiced high praise for the South Korean professor's accomplishment.

Earlier, the U.S.-based Science magazine also selected the event as one of the year's top ten scientific achievements.