Disgraced South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk told a court in Seoul that his attempt to clone extinct mammoths was based on material he bought from the Russian Mafia.

Woo-Suk is on trial for allegedly faking results of his stem cell research and related misappropriation of public funds and private donations. He admitted yesterday that some money was given to the Russian Mafia in exchange for supposed mammoth remains.

Woo-Suk tried three times to clone the hairy elephants and also tried cloning tigers.

He gave the court no details except that: "Some of the money was spent in contacting the Russia Mafia as we tried to clone mammoths," according to Reuters.

Explaining the difficulties of Korean expense claims, he said: "But you can't say that [on the expense claim] so we expensed it as money for cows for experiment."

Mammoth remains have been found in Siberia and it has been suggested that some of them might yield enough genetic material to recreate them. ®

Related stories

• Disgraced Korean cloning scientist given suspended sentence (26 October 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/10/26/cloning_scientist_sentence/

• US biotech firm in new human cloning claim (18 January 2008)

  https://www.theregister.com/2008/01/18/us_cloning_claim/

• Monkey butlers a step nearer as boffins clone macaques (14 November 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/11/14/monkey_cloning_butler_supersoldier_brain_harvest/

• Stem cell fraudster made 'virgin birth' breakthrough (3 August 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/08/03/hwang_parthenogenesis/

• Scientists ID possible Tunguska crater (27 June 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/06/27/lake_crater_tunguska/

• Stem cells face second Bush veto (11 January 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/01/11/stem_cells_vote_2/

• US to approve cloned meat (28 December 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/12/28/fda_approves_cloned/

• Russian hacking case can be heard in England, says judge (31 October 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/10/31/england_jurisdiction_for_russian_hacking_case/

• Amazing terror weapons: the imaginary suitcase nuke (31 July 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/07/31/red_mercury_trial/

• Korean scientist tried to clone mammoths (26 July 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/07/26/hwang_mammoth_cloning/

• Russian keyloggers hit bank customers (8 February 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/02/08/france_keylogs_losses/

• Cybercops seize Russian extortion masterminds (21 July 2004)

  https://www.theregister.com/2004/07/21/cyber_shakedown_taken_down/

• A visit from the FBI (28 January 2004)

  https://www.theregister.com/2004/01/28/a_visit_from_the_fbi/

• FBI sting snares top Russian crackers (7 October 2002)

  https://www.theregister.com/2002/10/07/fbi_sting_snares_top_russian/

• Russians accuse FBI agent of hacking (16 August 2002)

  https://www.theregister.com/2002/08/16/russians_accuse_fbi_agent/