Koreans blame govt for former president's death

• Source: The Global Times
• [07:16 May 25 2009]
• Comments

By Zhan Debin in Seoul and Liang Chen in Beijing

Supporters of former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun mourn at a memorial altar for Roh at Bongha village in Gimhae, about 450 km southeast of Seoul, yesterday. Roh, who was at the center of a multi-million-dollar corruption probe, jumped to his death off a hillside Saturday.

Thousands of mourners in the Republic of Korea (ROK) paid their last respects yesterday to former president Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide Saturday morning amid a massive bribery scandal that he had said he lost face over.

While Roh's supporters accuse the government of driving him to death, observers in and outside the country have voiced concerns that Roh's death represents defects in the country's democratic process and will create political uncertainty. Roh, 62, served as president from 2003 to 2008.

The man once known as “Mr Clean” leapt from a hilltop near his home while hiking with an aide, according to the state-run Yonhap news agency, adding that he left a suicide note on his computer. He died at a hospital from head injuries about three hours after jumping.

Roh's family agreed with a government request to hold a “people's funeral” for the late president after a seven-day mourning period.

Thousands of people thronged an altar in Bongha over the weekend, laying flowers and burning incense. Some collapsed as they approached his coffin.

Yonhap released the text of the suicide note yesterday. In it, he said, “nothing is left in my life but to be a burden to others,” and “Don't blame anybody; it's fate.” He also asked to be cremated and for a small tombstone to be placed near his home, saying he had “long thought about that.”

Roh's last blog was uploaded on April 22 and reflected his agony. In it he said he was entangled in “an abyss” and “as a former president, my fame and moral credibility have been completely ruined.”

Swirling allegations

Roh, who rose from an impoverished farming family to occupy the presidential Blue House, was questioned by prosecutors last month as a suspect in the corruption probe, making him the third former leader to be quizzed on graft charges after leaving office.

The investigation centered around a payment worth $1 million to Roh's wife from a wealthy shoe manufacturer, and a payment by the same man worth $5 million to the husband of one of Roh's nieces.

Prosecutors were set to question Roh's wife Saturday, and Roh was planning to answer a second round of questions this week. But with his death, prosecutors said, the case against him and his family has been suspended.

Roh had apologized for his family's involvement in the case but never admitted any personal wrongdoing. Yonhap has reported that Roh said he learned about the payments only after he left office, and he contended that some were legitimate investments.