SEOUL, South Korea -- Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun -- whose hard-won reputation as a corruption fighter was tarnished by bribery allegations that drew in his family and closest associates -- jumped to his death Saturday while hiking in the mountains behind his rural home. He was 62.
After leaving his family a suicide note, Roh threw himself off a steep cliff around 6:40 a.m., police and lawyer Moon Jae-in said in the southern port city of Busan.
"I'm indebted to too many people. Too many people are suffering because of me," Roh wrote in the note left on his computer. "Don't be sorry; don't blame anybody. It's destiny." He asked to be cremated and a small gravestone erected in his hometown.
A self-taught lawyer who lifted himself out of poverty to reach the nation's highest office in 2003, Roh had prided himself on being a "clean" politician in a country with a long history of corruption. Recent allegations that he accepted $6 million in bribes from a Seoul businessman were deeply troubling to the ex-leader.
"I have no face to show to the people. I am sorry for disappointing you," an emotional Roh said last month before turning himself over to Seoul prosecutors who grilled him for 13 hours about the allegations.
His suicide -- the first in South Korea by an ex-president -- stunned the nation. South Koreans nationwide huddled around TV screens watching news broadcasts. Supporters flooded his Web site with condolences.
"I was utterly shocked," said Chun Soon-im, 63, of Seoul. "They say 'hate the sin but not the sinner,' and that's how I feel. The investigation must continue and we must get to the truth, but I cannot help feeling sorry for the man and those left behind."
Roh denied the bribery allegations against him during questioning April 30 and May 1, prosecution spokesman Cho Eun-sok said.
His supporters claimed the probe was politically motivated by conservative opponents.
From: China Daily
