Former President Roh Moo-hyun jumped to his death off a mountainside near his home on Saturday, sending shockwaves throughout the nation.



Roh, 62, was under investigation over allegations that his family received more than $6 million from a businessman. Roh was president from 2003-2008.



Roh left behind a suicide note to his family saying, “It has been too hard.”



Roh suffered fatal head injuries after falling about 30 meters from a cliff near his home in Gimhae, some 400 kilometers south of Seoul.



"Former President Roh left his house at 5:45 a.m. and while hiking on Mount Bonghwa, appears to have jumped off a rock at around 6:40 a.m.,” former top secretary Moon Jae-in told reporters at Pusan National University Hospital.



Roh was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m., he said.



The former leader, who was hailed for his anti-corruption efforts, apologized last month after admitting that his wife received money from his financial backer Park Yeon-cha while he was in office.



His son, the husband of his niece and his key aides were under investigation in the scandal.



The incident tarnished his image a clean leader and damaged ethical credentials of his liberal political circles.



Prosecutors said they halted the probe due to his death.



In the afternoon, his body was moved to his home, where the memorial altar was set up.



Roh wrote a short suicide note on his computer before leaving home.



“I have caused too much difficulty for people. The rest of my life would only be a burden for others,” he wrote in the note unveiled by police.



He asked to be cremated and that a small tombstone be set up in his hometown.



“Don`t be too sad. Isn`t life and death all part of nature? Don`t be sorry. Don`t blame anybody. It is destiny,” the note said.



President Lee Myung-bak expressed shock and sorrow, describing his death as a national tragedy.



"It is hard to believe, too sorrow and bitter," Lee was quoted as saying by his spokesman.



He cleared his schedule after his summit with visiting Czech President Vaclav Klaus and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.



The news shocked the nation, with citizens mourning Roh`s death and some expressing anger toward the prosecution for an excessive investigation that humiliated him.



"We feel shock and sorrow beyond words," opposition Democratic Party spokesman Kim Yoo-jung said.



"The people and history will know well by whom, by what, and by what reason the former president was driven to the tragic end of his life."



Prime Minister Han Seung-soo convened an emergency meeting of government ministers.



The government will carry out a national funeral if his family agrees, officials said.







By Hwang Jang-jin







(jjhwang@heraldm.com)