Pro-Pyongyang paper offers tribute to late S. Korean president

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- A pro-Pyongyang paper published in Japan on Tuesday
called the death of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun "shocking,"
praising his past contributions to inter-Korean relations that included an
historic 2007 summit with North Korea's leader.

The former president leapt to his death from a cliff while hiking near his rural
hometown in the country's southeast on Saturday, amid a widening corruption probe
involving him and his family.
The Chosun Sinbo, in a commentary titled "Shocking death," said that it "cannot
withhold sad emotion from the unexpected news that former President Roh committed
suicide."
The paper noted that Roh's efforts to abolish political regionalism and reform
politics in general in South Korea were worthy of praise and that he greatly
advanced Seoul's relations with the North by signing the landmark "October 4
Statement" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Roh and Kim met in Pyongyang in 2007 for the second summit between the two
countries. The first summit held in 2000 between then President Kim Dae-jung and
North Korea's Kim, leading to a series of reconciliatory projects, including the
Kaesong complex.
The editorial also said that an endless stream of mourners in the South were
paying tribute to the late Roh, and the country's cyberspace being filled by
messages conveying the people's respect and sadness.
"We can see that the humanitarian image of Roh Moo-hyun has been deeply rooted in
the people's minds," the paper said.
"At the same time, criticism and anger are also being heard that the prosecution,
the Lee Myung-bak administration and the conservative media are responsible for
this tragedy," it said.
Roh's supporters accuse the Lee government of conducting a politically motivated
probe on the former president and his family.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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