The Korean Times is reporting that a patient has regained the ability to walk after 19 years of paralysis following the injection of stem cells into the damaged portion of her spine. The apparent success was reported at a press conference held by researchers from Chosun University, Seoul National University and the Seoul Cord Blood Bank.

The researchers plan to officially submit their research to the scientific community early next year. If the research is confirmed, South Korea will be widely recognized as the world’s foremost center for stem cell research. A team of scientists in South Korea was one of the first to successfully clone a human embryo (the embryo was not implanted into a womb) and the country is already considered to be the most technologically advanced nation in the world.