Former S. Korean President Dead - Apparent Suicide

[FlyingKiwi]

Roh Moo-hyun, the former president of South Korea who resigned last year after a corruption scandal has died while hiking, and although it has yet to be confirmed for sure, it seems it may have been suicide.

South Korea's ex-president dies



Mr Roh served as South Korea's president from 2003 to 2008

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has died of head injuries after falling into a ravine while climbing a mountain, police say.

Mr Roh, 62, was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital in the southern city in Busan.

An aide to the former president said he had left what appeared to be a suicide note before jumping to his death.

The former president left office in February 2008 and had been under investigation for alleged bribery.

"President Roh fell down a mountain. He was transported to a hospital where doctors said he had been dead upon arrival," a spokesman of the National Police Agency told the AFP news agency.

"We're investigating whether he fell by accident or committed suicide," he said.

Medics said Mr Roh was pronounced dead at Busan's hospital at 0930 local time (0030 GMT) after being transported from his hometown of Gimhae.

Mr Roh's former assistant, Moon Jae-in, said in a statement broadcast live on national TV and radio that the former president had left a suicide note.

"Former President Roh left his house at 0545 (2045 GMT on Friday) and while hiking on the Ponghwa Mountain, appears to have jumped off a rock at around 0640," he said.


Bribery allegations
A human rights lawyer, Mr Roh took office in 2003 vowing to fight corruption, but correspondents say his term was a rollercoaster ride, with his party hit by scandal and infighting.

He was suspended early in 2004, after parliament voted to impeach him over a breach of election rules, but the Constitutional Court later overturned the move and he was reinstated.

Last month, Mr Roh was questioned over allegations that he had taken millions of dollars in bribes from a wealthy businessman.

The former president later apologised for the scandal.

"I feel ashamed before my fellow citizens. I am sorry for disappointing you," he said in a televised statement.

In a statement posted on his website in April, Mr Roh admitted that his wife received a substantial sum of money from the businessman, but suggested it was not a bribe, but a payment to help her settle a debt.

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[Braxton]

That is amazing what had happened, and I am shocked that he would kill himself. There has been a history of former South Korean Presidents going to jail, and maybe this fellow was convinced that ending his life was much better than ending up in prison? I think the only death of a South Korean President that has been more unusual than this one was when President Park Chung Hee was assasinated by his own KCIA chief at dinner. Well, my guess is that the former president must have known something was going to happen, and he might have felt suicide was a far more acceptable option than what the legal system had in store for him.

[FlyingKiwi]

I would guess you are right there that this was probably his way of avoiding being shamed.

[RingzTerritory]

Wow that is really surprising o.o;

[Braxton]

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwi

I would guess you are right there that this was probably his way of avoiding being shamed.

From what I understand this fellow was a self taught lawyer, and he cut his teeth during the days of the last of South Korea's military leaders. This fellow has spent time in prison before and has run afoul of the authorities in the past. I have a feeling he might have realized that he might have done something wrong or his family or associates might have done something untoward making the former President realize he had no other options. I think "saving face" is very big in Asian cultures, and when this fellow's dignity was compromised he probably felt he could not live.

North Korea has been awful silent, and I wonder what they make of this fellow's death. Considering that only a couple of months ago this former President was in Pyongyang I would think the North Koreans would have an interest in this situation, too.