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.

Roh’s suicide, just 15 months after he left office, came as he and his family faced intense questioning about $6 million (€4.29m) given to the Rohs during his presidency by a Seoul businessman implicated in bribery scandals. The suicide has stunned the nation of 49 million.