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President Roh Moo-hyun on Sunday tried to quell an outcry that greeted an MBC program that reported flawed ethics in projects by stem cell pioneer Prof. Hwang Woo-suk. Roh on Sunday posted a statement on the official Cheong Wa Dae website urging people to show more tolerance.
The broadcaster¡¯s ¡°PD Diary¡± current affairs show invited the ire of Hwang supporters last week by reporting in depth on revelations that the geneticist¡¯s team used ova donated by junior researchers in the team. An online support group for Hwang called for a boycott of products by companies that advertise during the program. ¡°I was also annoyed by the MBC report, but the subsequent MBC bashing was excessive,¡± the president wrote. ¡°The situation seems to be spiraling out of control, and if 11 out of the 12 advertisers cancel their contracts with the program, things have gone too far.¡±
Roh said the scale of the protest left him worried about a lack of tolerance in society. ¡°Societies where conformity is overwhelming and no criticism is tolerated have always left only shame in history,¡± he said. ¡°The expression of divergent views ensures a system of checks and balances whereby our society can be ruled by common sense.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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