사진은 김해에서, 추모객들이 애도 하는 모습. ASIA NEWS MAY 25, 2009 Roh's Death Leaves South Korea Tense By EVAN RAMSTAD and SUNGHA PARK The initial shock and sadness in South Korea over the suicide death of former president Roh Moo-hyun began to give way on Sunday to anger among his supporters and the prospect of political upheaval that will pose a new challenge for current president Lee Myung-bak. Thousands of people visited a community center Sunday in Mr. Roh's hometown to lay flowers on an altar, a traditional Korean mourning practice. Similar altars were set up in train stations, temples and civic buildings around the country. Associated Press Mourners cry during a funeral service for former President Roh Moo-hyun in Gimhae, South Korea. Mr. Roh, 62 years old, jumped from a 30-meter cliff near his home in Gimhae, along the country's south coast, early Saturday morning, police and aides said. In a note composed an hour earlier, he wrote of despair about the impact of an unfolding bribery investigation. Police said they determined there was no wrongdoing in the death. Views on suicide are complex in South Korea, with some people considering it a shameful act and others a heroic one. And not all members of the public were ready to mourn Mr. Roh, because of the divisive way he practiced politics in a career spent challenging the country's political and business establishments. "He never intended to be the president for all, so the reaction of the Korean people to his death is split," said Chae Su-chan, an economist and former lawmaker who advised Mr. Roh on U.S. relations. "It was his choice. It was his style." The unique circumstances have produced a volatile moment for the nation. The immediate impact is likely to be a lashing out by Mr. Roh's political base -- progressive-nationalist parties, politicians and supporters -- at the bribery investigation. S. Korea's Former President Jumps to His Death Roh Moo-hyun has died after falling from a mountain cliff near his home. Over the past two months, prosecutors examined $6 million in payments to members of Mr. Roh's family by a businessman whose companies prospered during Mr. Roh's time in office. They questioned Mr. Roh on April 30, but hadn't charged him at the time of his death. The investigation of Mr. Roh will now be closed, prosecutors said, but it was unclear what would happen with the rest of the case. If the anger among Mr. Roh's supporters is handled poorly by Mr. Lee and the conservative party that now controls the South Korean government, it could grow into broader protests and turmoil that would distract the country just as it is turning the corner on the global economic crisis. "Politically, I think we're heading into a very sensitive time," says Eugene Yun, a private equity fund manager who was an adviser to Mr. Roh during his 2002 campaign. "President Lee has a very, very difficult situation to manage. It's going to test his political skills to the maximum." Little of the political politesse that's common in other countries after the death of a leader was evident in South Korea this weekend. Supporters of Mr. Roh issued news releases denouncing Mr. Lee and prosecutors. Memorial sites were festooned with political banners and, at the main site in Gimhae, supporters turned away mourners they considered unfriendly. The rebuffed visitors included the man Mr. Roh defeated to become president in 2002; the speaker of the National Assembly; and Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, South Korea's senior statesman who served presidents of both major parties. Late Sunday, aides to Mr. Lee were trying to schedule a time for him to visit Mr. Roh's family, but none had been arranged. Mr. Roh's family agreed to a state-assisted public funeral, likely to occur on Friday. "Unfortunately, I assume there will be huge protests by the end of the funeral period," said Kim Ki-jung, political scientist at Yonsei University in Seoul. "It will be another big incident to polarize the public." Mr. Roh's death is likely to fuel long-term debate about three powerful institutions that he spent much of his life trying to reshape and that turned on him in the end of his career: South Korea's political parties, justice system and news media. During his tenure as president from 2003 to 2008, Mr. Roh severed connections between the executive branch and prosecutors and gave judges more authority, though he stopped short of creating grand juries to check the power of prosecutors. He also tried but failed to break the cartel-like, uncompetitive behavior of news organizations and reporters. As the bribery investigation unfolded, prosecutors leaked damaging details to reporters, virtually trying Mr. Roh in the media rather than in court, a practice that's become common in high-profile cases in the country. Park Kyung-joo, a Seoul resident on her way to a memorial site for Mr. Roh Sunday afternoon, said she barely trusted the justice system and resented the treatment Mr. Roh received in recent weeks. "When he was in office, I was sometimes disappointed at him," Ms. Park said. "But now I think there must have been a reason that he did things the way he did." Write to Evan Ramstad at [email protected] and SungHa Park at [email protected]