Two of three former members of Hwang Woo-suk’s stem cell research team in Seoul who are currently working under Gerald Schatten’s research team at the University of Pittsburgh are reportedly seeking or considering permanent residency status in the United States.

Researcher Park Jong-hyuk is reportedly trying to find a job as a professor in South Korea and is planning on applying for a green card if he fails to find employment here.

The other researcher, Park Eul-soo, had expressed wishes to apply for a green card ever since he first arrived in the U.S. last year.

The remaining researcher, Kim Sun-jong, was quoted as saying that he has no plans to seek permanent residency in the United States.

News of the two scientists' seeking of permanent U.S. residency was reported to local media through a legal firm that deals with American immigration procedures.

A senior member of Hwang’s research team, meanwhile, characterized as "exaggerated" some media reports that said the scientists' permanent move to the U.S. could result in the leakage of vital cloning technology.