A human cloning experiment conducted by a team of researchers from Kyunghee University in Seoul (South Korea), has raised so much international controversy that the Korean government has decided to ban funding for all research involving the cloning of human embryos. The government's decision came shortly after the researchers' announcement last December that they were the first to successfully produce an embryo from a human somatic cell. Researchers from Kyunghee University claim they cultivated an early stage embryo using an unfertilized egg and a granulosa cell obtained from a female patient who had been receiving infertility treatment at the university hospital. Although researchers say they destroyed the embryo after it reached a four–cell stage, the ethical implications of the experiment caused widespread concern among the public. However, other scientists doubt the validity of the claims, particularly as no supporting evidence has been released by the researchers, who say they are "keen to avoid further controversy."