Nation Mourns Deceased President

Former President Roh Moo-hyun jumped to his death from a cliff behind his residence in his hometown of Bongha Village, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday morning, just days before the prosecution was set to indict him for allegedly taking a bribe of $6.4 million from a businessman during his presidency. In his suicide note, he said he felt sorry for the suffering inflicted on many people because of him. His wish was to be buried in his hometown after cremation. / Yonhap

Funeral Planned Friday in Bongha

By Kim Rahn

Staff Reporter

An endless stream of mourners nationwide paid their last respects Sunday to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Roh ended his turbulent life by throwing himself off a cliff on a mountain in his hometown at dawn, Saturday, after leaving a brief suicide note. He was 63.

The funeral ceremony will take place Friday at his birthplace in Bongha Village, South Gyeongsang Province, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to government officials and the late Roh's aides.

The former head of state will be cremated before being buried near his hometown in accordance with his wishes. Other deceased presidents were interred at national cemeteries in Seoul and Daejeon.

A public funeral will be held for Roh following an agreement between the bereaved family members and the government. Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and someone selected by the family will co-chair the preparation committee.

Prime Minister Han called a Cabinet meeting Sunday to discuss the funeral procedure according to the law on state and public funerals.

The bereaved family members and aides initially insisted on a private ceremony, but later accepted the government proposal. ``They decided so because a public funeral allows more people to pay their respects to the late President,'' his former spokesman Chun Ho-seon said.

His death threw the nation into a state of collective shock and grief, and tens of thousands of people, many in tears, knelt before altars to pay homage to the late President.

The government set up an altar inside the Seoul Museum of History in the central Jong-ro district for foreign delegations to offer their condolences. Another altar was established in front of Seoul Station for the public.

A state or public funeral is usually given to former and incumbent presidents, unless the bereaved family rejects it.

Among former presidents, Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated while still in office in 1979, was given a state funeral; Choi Kyu-ha, a public one; and Syngman Rhee and Yoon Bo-sun, private services.

The memorial period in a public funeral is up to seven days following death, and the government foots part of the expenses, while its agencies fly a flag at half-mast on the day of the burial. In a state funeral the memorial period is up to nine days, with the government paying all expenses, and flying flags at half-mast during the mourning period.

The administration has set up other memorial altars nationwide, so that people across the country can pay their respects.

In Roh's hometown, a large altar was set up near the local community center, Sunday, replacing a temporary one that was too small for the large number of mourners.

His body was carried to his home Saturday afternoon from Pusan National University Hospital where he passed away in the morning after throwing himself off a cliff on a mountain at the rear of his house.

Roh's son and daughter have been receiving condolence callers since Saturday night but his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, who passed out for hours at the hospital after the confirmation of his death, is resting apparently suffering from shock.

End to Investigation

The prosecution also declared an end to its bribery investigation of Roh. ``We will terminate all proceedings involving the former President,'' a prosecutor said.

Prosecutors were planning to indict the ex-head of state on bribery charges as early as this week. The investigation of his wife, son and daughter will be discontinued due to the absence of the ``key suspect,'' prosecutors said.

Roh jumped off the 30-meter-high cliff at the rear of his residence in Bongha at 6:45 a.m. while hiking.

Police concluded Sunday that he committed suicide. ``We reached the conclusion after taking into account testimony from the accompanying guard, staff and other evidence including his suicide note,'' Lee No-gu, chief investigator, said at a press briefing.

The security guard accompanying Roh was quoted as saying by police that ``he moved too abruptly'' for him to stop it. The former President was taken to hospital immediately and then sent to the larger Pusan National University Hospital, unconscious and with serious brain injuries, doctors said. Despite life-saving treatment, he passed away at 9:30 a.m.

Roh left a suicide note in his computer, which read, ``I am indebted to too many people. Many people are suffering too much because of me. The sufferings that will come are unfathomable.''

It continued: ``Don't be too sad. Life and death are both just a part of nature. Don't feel sorry. Don't blame anyone. It's all fate.''

He also asked his family to cremate his body and set up a small gravestone near his home, adding he had thought about it for a long time.

From the son of a poor farming family to a human rights lawyer and the nation's highest office, Roh's life was more dramatic than any movie script. Born in 1946, he, a high school graduate, passed the Korean bar exam in 1975. After working as a human rights lawyer, Roh entered politics in 1988 as a member of the National Assembly and became president in 2003.

President Lee Myung-bak expressed deep regret over Roh's death and offered condolences to the bereaved family. Politicians in both governing and opposition parties, heads of government organizations, and foreign leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama also offered their sympathy.

Roh was under investigation on bribery allegations, which involved his family and long-time supporter Park Yeon-cha, the CEO of shoemaker Taekwang. He was suspected of having taken at least $6.4 million in bribes from Park.

He was summoned on April 30, as the third former president to be questioned by the prosecution. His family members were interrogated earlier. The scandal dealt a devastating blow to Roh, who pledged to work for ``clean politics.''

With the probe widening, it is said that Roh skipped meals and spent hours alone over the past few days under growing pressure.

[출처 : 코리아타임스]