SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk resigned from his position as a university professor today after his school said he had damaged the scientific community by fabricating the results of at least nine of 11 stem-cell lines he claimed to have created.

"I sincerely apologize to the people for creating a shock and disappointment," Hwang told reporters as he was leaving his office at the university. "With an apologetic heart ... I step down as professor of Seoul National University."

Earlier today, a university panel of investigators said Hwang's fabrication was a deliberate deception that has undermined the credibility of science.

The university's announcement of results so far in its investigation into Hwang's work were the first confirmation of allegations that have cast a shadow over all of his purported breakthroughs in cloning and stem-cell technology.

"This kind of error is a grave act that damages the foundation of science," the panel said.