Mourners in black, heads bowed and shedding tears, gathered in the courtyard of an ancient palace in Seoul for the funeral of ex-president Roh Moo-hyun, nearly a week after he leaped to his death while being investigated for corruption.

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, embroiled in a broadening corruption scandal, died from a fall today in the mountains behind his rural southern home. He left behind a suicide note, his lawyer said.