A domestic science society on Monday announced an ethics charter for life science research urging respect for life, the dignity of living organisms and ecological preservation.

The Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology's charter consists of three sections dealing with protection of the rights of human lab participants, respect for the lives of animals used in experiments and sharing accurate research data.

On controversial issues such as embryonic cloning, the charter bans research from undermining the dignity of life.

The charter is the first of its kind written by a life science academic society.

The society has over 5,000 members in medicine and science, with cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk serving as vice chairman.