Embattled former President Roh Moo Hyun - a reformist shamed by a corruption scandal that tarnished his image as a 'clean' politician - jumped to his death while hiking in the mountains behind his rural home in South Korea, his lawyer said. He was 62. Mr Roh was hiking in Bongha village when he threw himself off a steep cliff around 6.40am on Saturday, lawyer Moon Jae In told reporters in the southern city of Busan. He said Mr Roh left a suicide note. Mr Roh was taken to Busan National University Hospital, where he was declared dead several hours later. A self-taught lawyer who lifted himself out of poverty to reach the nation's highest office, Mr Roh prided himself on his clean record in a country with a long history of corruption. He served as president from 2003 to 2008. But he and his family have been ensnared in recent weeks in a burgeoning bribery scandal. The suicide - the first by a South Korean president - stunned the nation. South Koreans nationwide huddled around TV screens watching news broadcasts.
President Lee Myung Bak said Mr Roh's 'sad and tragic' death was 'truly hard to believe', spokesman Lee Dong Kwan said.
Mr Roh, who after leaving office moved to Gimhae, some 280 miles (450km) south of Seoul, had gone for a walk in the mountains behind his house. He was accompanied by a security guard, Busan police said. Part way up, Mr Roh hurled himself off a 100-foot (30-metre) -high cliff known as Owl's Rock, the Yonhap news agency said. Police said they were still investigating the circumstances of Mr Roh's death. Later on Saturday, Mr Roh's coffin, draped in dark red, was taken into his home as his children, sobbing, followed the casket to the village community centre. Mr Roh is survived by his wife, Kwon Yang Sook, son Roh Gun Ho and daughter Roh Jeong Yeon. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.