Ex-president’s suicide stuns South Korea

TENS of thousands of South Koreans streamed to a rural village yesterday to pay their respects to former president Roh Moo-hyun a day after he killed himself by jumping off a rocky cliff overlooking his home.

But several top officials, including the prime minister, were turned away from the mourning rites for the liberal ex-leader, who had a fractious relationship with his conservative opponents. Roh supporters pelted a bus carrying conservative politicians with eggs and doused lawmakers with water.

The 62-year-old Roh, who relied on hard work to rise from his impoverished youth in rural Gimhae to become president in 2003, died on Saturday after jumping from a promontory known as Owl’s Rock. He left behind a note describing his suffering over corruption allegations and asking to be cremated.