The government has decided to lift a ban on embryonic stem cell research that has been in place since 2006.

The National Bioethics Committee convened a full session on Wednesday, approving a research plan by Professor Jung Hyung-min’s team at Cha Hospital on the development of treatment using human embryonic stem cells.

The committee, however, attached several preconditions, including orders that the name and goal of the research be changed and that the hospital reduce the number of embryos used in the research from one-thousand to 800.

Prior to Wednesday’s ruling, the bioethics committee had rejected the hospital's two previous requests to conduct embryonic stem cell research, citing ethical issues.

This will be the first time the government has allowed stem cell research using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology since 2006, after cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk was found to have fabricated data in his controversial stem cell studies.