Seoul, Aug. 17 (AP): The disgraced South Korean scientist who falsely claimed to have created stem cells from cloned human embryos has opened a new lab and resumed work, his lawyer said on Thursday.

However, Hwang Woo-suk wouldn't be conducting research on human embryonic stem cells as ``it is legally impossible,'' said lawyer Lee Geon-haeng, without elaborating what research Hwang would be conducting.

Hwang, a trained veterinarian, was fired from the prestigious Seoul National University earlier this year after revelations that his claims to have created the world's first stem cells from cloned human embryos were fabricated.

The government has since revoked his research license, preventing him from cloning human embryos or receiving eggs for such work.

Some 30 researchers from Hwang's former SNU team are working at the privately funded new lab in southern Seoul, Lee said.

Hwang had been regarded as a national hero in South Korea for his purported breakthroughs that had raised hopes worldwide of finding cures for hard-to-treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and spinal chord injuries.

He is now on trial for allegedly accepting 2 billion won (US$2.1 million, euro1.7 million) in private donations based on the outcome of the falsified research and embezzling about 800 million won (US$831,000, euro660,000) in private and government research funds.

Hwang also is accused of buying human eggs for research, a violation of the country's bioethics law.

Hwang has admitted to ordering fabrication of some data for his research claims, published by prestigious international journals in 2004 and 2005. However, he has maintained that he has the technology to clone embryonic stem cells and was deceived by underlings.

During his last court hearing in July, Hwang said his team had unsuccessfully tried to clone mammoths, extinct relatives of today's elephants. The next hearing in the trial is in September.