SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Two junior scientists working for South Korean cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk gave their own eggs for use in his research, the Health Ministry said Thursday.However, the ministry said the donations weren't in violation of ethics guidelines because they were made voluntarily, spokesman Choi Hee-joo told a news conference.The previously alleged donations by scientists at his lab have cast Hwang's groundbreaking work under a cloud of controversy in recent weeks and led to U.S. partners pulling out of collaboration with him.The scientists donated their eggs "voluntarily for the success of the research by sacrificing themselves," Choi said. He said the donations were made according to values consistent with Eastern culture, and shouldn't be looked at from the standpoint of Western culture.Hwang himself found out about the donations last May, Choi said. Hwang said in a TV interview aired Tuesday that he had tried to dissuade scientists at his lab from giving their own eggs, and claimed he hadn't known if they had later done so.Hwang was to give a news conference later Thursday, revealing results of an internal investigation at his lab at Seoul National University. The ministry said its announcement Thursday was the result of a separate investigation by the university's ethics board.The ministry also confirmed Thursday that a doctor who had earlier been providing eggs for Hwang's research paid some women for their eggs, and that Hwang had recently been made aware of that.The payments to egg donors, which ended in 2003, weren't illegal at the time. However, Hwang has previously insisted that all eggs obtained for his research were made by donors who gave them in hopes of helping his work.This year, a law took effect in South Korea banning commercial trading of human eggs.Hwang has gained worldwide attention for his breakthroughs, such as cloning the world's first human embryos and extracting stem cells from them. This year, he unveiled the world's first cloned dog.Last month, Hwang launched the World Stem Cell Hub along with international researchers, which aims to be a center seeking treatments for now-incurable diseases. Thousands of patients have signed up to donate their cells for research.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.