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Embattled SKorean ex-President jumps to his death

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-23 21:42

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.

A passenger reads an extra edition of newspaper reporting death of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 23, 2009. [Agencies] See more photos

"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.

Related readings:  S.Korea Ex-President Roh dead -Yonhap  S. Korea to close bribery probe into Roh family  S. Korean people mourn for ex-President Roh

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.

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