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Weeping South Koreans pack streets for Roh's funeral
Fri May 29, 2009 12:38am EDT
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By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - Weeping South Koreans jammed streets and dignitaries mourned at the funeral on Friday of former President Roh Moo-hyun, who leapt to his death from a cliff a week ago after being snared in a corruption scandal.
The mass outpouring of grief for Roh -- who left office widely regarded as ineffective -- has dented support for his successor, Lee Myung-bak, with many criticizing his government for hounding him with the corruption probe.
Lee won a by a landslide in a December 2007 election that included a pledge to undo Roh's economic policies. Adding to Lee's concerns is North Korea's nuclear test on Monday [ID:nN25330519] and a subsequent threat to attack.
Downtown Seoul was a sea of yellow, a color associated with Roh, as tearful supporters tied thousands of balloons to police barriers along the funeral route and waved placards reading: "Sorry that we could not protect you."
Lee's Prime Minister, Han Seung-soo, described Roh as a man of the people in a eulogy at the funeral, held at an ancient palace in Seoul that once was home to Korea's rulers.
Police said Roh jumped to his death on May 23 from a rock face behind his home in Bongha Village, leaving a note saying: "the rest of my life would only be a burden for others."
Even before his body arrived in Seoul on a journey that started hundreds of kilometers away in his rural hometown, there was scuffling in the capital between riot police and mourners, who blamed Roh's successor for the death.
There were angry shouts at Lee at the funeral when he made an offering at an alter to Roh, and derisive cheers erupted in the streets where tens of thousands of people watched on giant screens.
Roh's body left his southeastern hometown early Friday and a crush of mourners wept and tossed yellow paper airplanes and flowers in the air as the hearse moved off.
"WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?"
Tens of thousands of riot police mobilized in Seoul to head off any protests, but many mourners said their presence only sparked further anger.
"What are they scared of?" asked mourner Seo Hyun-sook.
Roh, 62, whose five-year term ended in February 2008, had become embroiled in a graft inquiry, the result of confessions by a wealthy shoe manufacturer suspected of bribing several political figures and members of Roh's family.
The left-leaning Roh won the 2002 presidential election on a wave of anti-Americanism and by using the Internet to rally his base of supporters, young professionals who fought in the 1980s democracy movement.
A self-taught lawyer whose formal education ended at high school, Roh's most celebrated moment came when he went to North Korea in 2007 for a summit with Kim Jong-il in what was only the second meeting of leaders of the divided peninsula. Continued...
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