Bioethical Concerns arise amidst controversy surrounding a Korean YouTuber's Cloning of her Deceased Dog

Recently, a debate has been sparked by a Korean YouTuber who claimed to have cloned her departed pet. While some empathize with the emotional anguish of losing a cherished animal companion, more have raised concerns over bioethics.

The YouTuber was seen holding two puppies cloned from her departed pet named Tico. She revealed that the cloning cost exceeded 80 million KRW (~59,749 USD).

However, Animal rights advocates and the Korean Animal Welfare Association have expressed concerns over the ethical aspects of the practice and even accused the facility responsible for the cloning was by an unlicensed company.

According to SBS, it has been confirmed that the company operates as a bio-venture under the National Chungnam University. SBS explained, "The CEO of this company, a former member of the research team led by Hwang Woo Suk, known for creating the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy, is a leading expert in dog cloning in South Korea. He has been involved in cloning the pet of Lee Kun Hee, the late Samsung chairman."

Researcher Hwang Woo Suk, once celebrated for his groundbreaking work in the early 2000s, creating the first human embryonic stem cell, later became embroiled in a scandal involving scientific misconduct and ethical concerns.

This latest controversy is further compounded by the lack of transparency in pet cloning laboratories, which extends to their cloning processes, and the undisclosed number of facilities engaged in these procedures.

Shin Joo Woon, an animal rights activist at Korea Animal Rights Advocates, stated through The Korea Herald, "Donor dogs must go through multiple procedures for the laboratories to retrieve fertilizable eggs and the surrogate mother dogs must be injected with fertilized eggs multiple times until they are successfully implanted into the dogs’ wombs. It is difficult to say that pet cloning can be ethical under the current circumstances, as it leaves room for potential exploitation and mistreatment."

The controversy surfaced when the YouTuber uploaded a video titled, "My Dog has returned" where she revealed she had cloned her deceased dog Tico.

The YouTuber explained she had to suddenly part with her pet when he was killed in an accident. While trying to deal with the pain of losing her animal companion, she decided to clone her dogs. In the video, she introduced two puppies who are genetically identical to Tico.

She claimed that cloning her dogs helped her deal with "pet loss syndrome" and wanted to help others overcome it as well.

Some sympathized with the YouTuber. However, many raised concerns, stating it was not an appropriate or healthy way to deal with the death of her dog. Furthermore, many netizens were disturbed by the fact that the YouTuber gave her cloned dogs the same name as her deceased pet. Many also criticized that she should have adopted another dog from the rescue centers in need of a warm home instead of cloning her pet.

Korean netizens left comments on the video saying, "The video is seriously creepy; it's incredibly twisted affection..." "I honestly worry about the wording of 'I reunited with Tico again.' While the sudden parting with Tico must have been a huge shock and pain for the owner, I'm concerned about whether trying to overcome it through cloning is really a good idea. I respect the decision made after much consideration, but I can't help worrying about whether she is overcoming death through cloning. If this overstepped boundaries, I apologize..." "It might be a good idea to seriously consider seeking counseling... Watching the video gives the impression that you might be going through some psychological distress," "Understanding the feelings countless times, I can't easily express how painful it must be to let go of a child. However, in the process of cloning a dog, many other lives are sacrificed, making it seem unethical," "Seems like a distorted affection... Nevertheless, I hope you are doing well," "It's really unfortunate... Going for counseling might be a good option." and "The video itself is too eerie."