Disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk is now a UAE citizen and wants Korea back

Hwang Woo-suk lost his Korean citizenship after becoming a UAE national in April. Now the scientist behind a famous research fraud says he wants it back.

10 Nov 2026, 13:432 min read

A passport and a laboratory microscope on a desk, symbolising a scientist who changed nationality. — Image: Hankyoreh

Remember Hwang Woo-suk, the star scientist whose human cloning claims turned out to be fake? He has quietly swapped passports. And now he says he'd like his old one back.

What happened?

On Aug. 13, the Cheongju Immigration Office, which is part of the Justice Ministry, published a notice in the official gazette. It said a Hwang Woo-suk born in 1953, with a family registry in Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province, had lost his Korean nationality.

The reason: he became a citizen of the United Arab Emirates on April 9. The birth year and registered hometown match the former professor, who has been doing research in the UAE in recent years. The Justice Ministry said it "cannot confirm any personal information beyond what has been disclosed in the official gazette."

Why did he lose his citizenship?

It's automatic. Under Article 15 of South Korea's Nationality Act, a Korean who voluntarily takes another country's citizenship loses Korean nationality the moment that happens.

The UAE rarely gives citizenship to foreigners. But since 2021 it has offered a limited route for scientists, doctors and some other professionals. Hwang is now CEO of the UAE Biotech Research Center in Abu Dhabi, which works on cloning, stem cells, gene editing and biobanking for animal health and biodiversity.

And now there's a twist. According to a Nov. 10 report, Hwang told a Korean newspaper in an interview on Monday that he has applied to regain his South Korean citizenship. He is waiting for the Justice Ministry's decision.

Wait, what was the scandal again?

In 2004, Hwang published a paper in the journal Science claiming he had cloned human embryos. Investigators later found the data had been fabricated. Seoul National University dismissed him in 2006, and the government stripped him of his title as the country's first "top scientist."

In 2014, the Supreme Court upheld an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for embezzling research funds and illegally obtaining human eggs in violation of bioethics law. In July this year, the government also revoked the Top Scientist and Technologist Award of Korea, which it had given him in 2004.