By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

Police officially confirmed Sunday that former President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide by throwing himself off a 30-meter-high cliff behind his house during a morning hike with a security guard.

The South Gyeongsang Police Station, in charge of the investigation into his death, concluded that Roh jumped off Owl Cliff on Mt. Bongha behind his residence on his own at 6:45 a.m., Saturday ― 55 minutes after departing from his house.

Lee No-gu, the chief investigator, said, ``We reached the conclusion after taking into account testimony from the accompanying guard, staff and other evidence including a suicide note.

``The location was Owl Cliff as reported, roughly 500 meters away from his house. The accompanying security guard witnessed Roh's suicide, but it was too abrupt for him to stop it.''

Two police officers on duty at a nearby post at that time were confirmed to have seen Roh standing on the top of the cliff with the guard, but didn't see his suicide, he added.

According to an interim report, Roh phoned security guards at 5:45 a.m. to inform them of his hiking plan, and left his house at 5:50 a.m. with one of them.

Arriving at the cliff top at 6:20 a.m., they chatted for about 20 minutes there. Roh asked the guard for a cigarette and whether there were owls living around the cliff.

When the guard was distracted due to a comment from Roh about a person passing down the hill, he leaped from the mountain, the report said.

The police also looked at Roh's laptop, where his suicide note was saved.

``Roh completed the note only minutes before his departure to the mountain. We found no clues backing up the allegation that the note was fabricated,'' the investigator said.

He said Roh began writing the note at 5:21 a.m. and first saved it at 5:26 a.m. Partially amending the document, he saved it for the final time at 5:44 a.m., according to the report.

Police plan to ask the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to inspect a bloody outfit and climbing boots found roughly 11 meters away from the spot where Roh landed after throwing himself off the cliff.

``A postmortem exam will not be conducted as a sign of respect for the former President,'' Lee said.

Police plan to do their best to ensure Roh's funeral runs smoothly, he said.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr