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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Ex-SKorean president's body en route to Seoul Ex-SKorean president's body en route to SeoulBuzz up! Associated Press Writer= SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of mourners wept as the hearse carrying ex-President Roh Moo-hyun left his southern hometown near Busan early Friday morning for his funeral in Seoul nearly a week after he leapt to his death. Roh, 62, died May 23 after throwing himself off a cliff behind his home in the village of Bongha. Roh, president from 2003 to 2008, recently had been questioned about claims he and his family accepted $6 million in bribes during his presidency. He denied the bribery allegations. His suicide stunned the nation of 49 million, where the outspoken Roh — who rose from humble roots to become president — was known a leader for the people and a favorite among younger South Koreans. Though many were critical of his antiestablishment ways, others rallied around his efforts to promote democracy, fight corruption and facilitate rapprochement with North Korea. Thousands turned out to send Roh off to Seoul, many tossing yellow paper airplanes as the hearse blanketed with white chrysanthemums traveled through the streets of Bongha to begin the five-hour journey to the capital. Yellow was Roh's campaign color. The convoy was expected to arrive in Seoul, about 280 miles (450 kilometers) to the north, for a state-organized funeral set for 11 a.m. (0200 GMT) after about five hours of travel. President Lee Myung-bak is among dignitaries who are expected to attend the funeral at the 14th century Gyeongbok Palace near the presidential Blue House in central Seoul. The ancient royal palace was the site of the 2006 funeral for former President Choi Kyu-hah, which Roh attended as president. After the ceremony, which will be broadcast on large screens across the capital and elsewhere, the funeral procession is scheduled to march down central Seoul's main boulevard for a "people's ceremony" at City Hall. Roh's body was to be cremated later Friday. Roh, in a note to his family left on his computer before his suicide, asked that he be cremated and a small gravestone erected near his home. His death triggered a wave of grief across South Korea. For days, South Koreans — many tearful and bearing white chrysanthemums, a traditional symbol of mourning — have lined up to pay their respects to Roh. About 1 million mourners have made the pilgrimage to Roh's rural hometown to pay their respects. Mourning sites set up across the nation have drawn an additional 2 million people over the past week, reports said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who held a summit with Roh in 2007, also sent condolences, just before carrying out an underground nuclear test that earned wide international condemnation. Poster Comment: Lots of young Koreans I meet loved this guy. Most of the ones I talk to feel that they are being pushed into conflict. Strange moment in time for this figure who meant rapprochement to so many to suddenly defenestrate.
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