A TV magazine says cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-seok did indeed use human eggs that were purchased for his stem cell research.

The major daily Chosun Ilbo on Monday said the MBC program "Producer Notebook" has obtained testimony from egg donors that contradicts Hwang's stance that eggs for his experiments were donated.

Several of the donors were in dire financial straits, including a 20-something woman who wanted extra cash.

The donors all said they were paid for the eggs, with one woman who received 1.5 million won saying she was told her eggs would go to infertile couples.

The director of MizMedi Hospital in Seoul said his clinic gave Hwang the eggs but denied any wrongdoing and said the move was intended to help national interests.

Hwang has insisted that he was unaware that the eggs he used were ilegally obtained, and his team will likely announce this week the results of its own investigation on the matter.

The scientist is mired in controversy after U.S. researcher Gerald Schatten last week ended his 20-month collaboration with Hwang over a breach of ethics in how 240 human eggs were obtained for experiments.