The justice minister said Saturday that an investigation into ex-President Roh Moo-hyun would end, hours after the former head of state died after falling off a mountainside.

Roh, 62, was pronounced dead at a hospital in the southern port city of Busan at 9:30 a.m. after he fell while hiking near his residence in Bongha Village. His lawyer said Roh left behind a brief suicide note, but police have yet to officially confirm whether Roh intended to kill himself.

Roh's death came amid a widening prosecution probe into his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal that implicated his family members. Rho and his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had been summoned by prosecutors and questioned about their monetary transactions with Park Yeon-cha, a businessman arrested for evading taxes and bribing influential political figures.

Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said in a statement that he "is aware that the investigation on former President Roh will come to a close."

"I cannot hold back the shock and sadness from Roh's unexpected death," the minister said.

The prosecution and the police are looking into the cause and circumstances of his death and will make the results known to the public, he said.