Roh's suicide puts South Korean president in corner

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-26 11:16

SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak faces a challenge this week on how to soothe political rancour that spilled out on Monday after the suicide of his predecessor Roh Moo-hyun and could threaten his economic reforms.

Roh's suicide puts South Korean president in corner

South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak speaks during the joint news conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus who is serving in the EU's rotating presidency, at Blue House in Seoul May 23, 2009. [Agencies]

Investors sent Seoul shares lower in early trading partly on fears the death of Roh, 62, who jumped to his death on Saturday after being ensnared in a widening corruption probe, could cause social unrest and spur political friction.

President Lee, a former businessman, won a landslide in a December 2007 election on pledges to undo Roh's left-of-centre policies and Roh's supporters are pointing fingers at the new conservative government for the corruption investigation.

"I think there are issues over which (Lee) is to be held responsible politically," Song Young-gil, a senior MP in the main opposition Democratic Party told radio broadcaster MBC.

The left-leaning newspaper Hankyoreh said in an editorial the Lee government should stop "using prosecutors as perpetrators".

Reform legislation

At present, public anger is focused on prosecutors but any blunder by Lee could sway public opinion to make him seem an object of scorn bent on political retribution, said Hahm Sung Deuk, a political science professor at Korea University.

"It then would jeopardise the ruling party's agenda in the extraordinary parliament session in June," Hahm said.

The session may be delayed due to Roh's death, which would push back debate on contentious bills supported by Lee's ruling Grand National Party.

Political fighting in parliament has delayed most of Lee's reforms designed to reshape Asia's fourth-largest economy and steer it through the global financial crisis through tax cuts, labour law reforms and privatisation.

Emotions have been running high over Roh's shocking death with more than 100,000 paying their respects in his southeastern hometown, Bonhga Village. Police said a provisional investigation found the death to be a suicide.

A public funeral for Roh has been planned for Friday and Lee's aides are debating whether he should first pay respects at a memorial set up in Bongha, after Roh's supporters destroyed a flower offering sent by the president.