The domestic science community has urged strict punishment for scientist Hwang Woo-suk after the investigative panel's announcement that his ground-breaking stem cell thesis was fabricated.

Expressing shock, scholars said Friday that Hwang must face the consequences for committing fraud in line with international precedents.

They predicted, however, that the scandal will not lead to the tainted image of South Korea's research abroad and that the lesson learned from the scandal will hopefully push scientific development a notch ahead.