The government is planning to extend full support to internationally acclaimed scientist Professor Hwang Woo-seok, who has achieved remarkable breakthroughs in human cloning research.

The Science and Technology Ministry says it will earmark 26.5 billion won next year for the research team led by Hwang. The figure is almost four times the amount the team secured this year.

The Korean cloning pioneer surprised the world Thursday by announcing that he had successfully produced embryonic stem cells tailored to individuals in another major advance in the treatment of incurable diseases.