People in State of Collective Shock, Grief

People wait to pay respect to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun at an alter in front of Deoksu Palace, central Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

Reactions from citizens on the suicide of former President Roh Moo-hyun appeared to revolve around the same few words ― ``shocked and hard to believe.''

Many hoped that Roh's death would be a turning point to ease the acute social conflict between liberals and conservatives.

``I can't believe Roh left us. He must have been suffering from huge pressure. I hope he rests in peace now,'' said Lee Su-jin, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul.

Park Jong-deok, a collegian said, ``I pray for his happiness there. I feel guilty that Korean people could not protect him. I have to say I am sorry as a Korean citizen.''

Some blamed the prosecution for pressuring Roh to end his own life. ``It's political murder. The Lee Myung-bak government and prosecutors as well as conservative newspapers should be held responsible for Roh's death,'' said Baek Ji-hye, a female office worker.

Others say Roh's alleged corruption was relatively minor compared to that of former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who were imprisoned in the 1990s for amassing hundreds of millions of dollars and harming many innocent people.

``I think his choice of suicide delivered two messages to the world, whether he intended to or not,'' said a Seoulite who declined to be named. ``First, he was a more ethical person than any other former president of Korea. Second, he took his own life to send a message to prosecutors and the judiciary. One should find someone guilty only when there is enough evidence beyond reasonable doubt, not by mere circumstantial evidence, mere suspicion, or herd behavior-ridden public opinion stimulated by news media.''

Roh's death has sent shockwaves through not only Korean communities but also among many foreigners here. ``It's a really unfortunate incident. I wish this kind of tragedy would not happen again in Korea,'' said Sirpa Morsky, who is visiting Korea from Finland.

``Sometimes the most obvious truth is the truth. It probably was related to the investigation,'' said Alan Lagunov, 22, in Korea from the United States for a business conference.

``Bribery scandals always involve politicians around the world, but it is really horrible for Korea to have such a tragedy,'' said Patrick Spencer, a 35-year-old Canadian here on business.

Web sites were also flooded with postings lamenting Roh's death.

``President Roh was a true hero in terms of his courage in sticking up for human rights during a repressive era. I loved the way he always stood up to North Korea on human rights issues,'' said an Internet user with the user name ``jsburgeson.''

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr

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