South Korea had the second highest number of clinical trials on stem cells in the world during the past eight years.
 
According to the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation on Monday, a total of 314 clinical trials on stem cell medications were registered with the U.S. National Institute of Health from 1999 to 2016.
 
Of the total, 46 were registered by South Korean researchers. The United States topped the list with 155. China came in third with 29, followed by Spain and Israel.
 
South Korea and China tied in 2014 by registering five clinical trials, but China overtook South Korea in 2015 for the first time.