North Korea reports news of Roh's death

(ATTN: UPDATES lead; ADDS Roh's engagement policy toward North)
SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- In an unusually prompt reaction, North Korea on Sunday
reported the death of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who had pushed
for reconciliation with Pyongyang.

A day after his death, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing
unspecified reports, that Roh died on Saturday morning.
Roh furthered his predecessor Kim Dae-jung's engagement policy towards North
Korea while in office from 2003 to 2008. Rice and fertilizer aid was steadily
handed over to the North during his term despite its nuclear test in 2006.
Roh held the second inter-Korean summit ever with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
in October 2007 and agreed to reduce military tension and boost South Korean
investment to help develop the North's dilapidated infrastructure.
The so-called "sunshine policy" maintained by Roh was withdrawn when conservative
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office last year. Lee toughened Seoul's
call on Pyongyang to end its nuclear program and improve its human rights
conditions. His administration ended aid to the impoverished North, which cut off
government-level dialogue in retaliation.
After leaving office in February last year, Roh maintained a critical stance
towards Lee's North Korea policy.
The North's two-sentence report suggested Roh was dealing with significant
psychological pressure as he faced a corruption probe.
Prosecutors summoned Roh on April 30 to investigate allegations that he had
received at least US$6 million from a business tycoon, which he denied.
"Local and foreign media are connecting his death with psychological pressure
resulting from prosecutors' forceful investigation," it said.
The former leader leaped to his death from cliff behind his rural southern home
early Saturday morning, sending a shockwave through the nation and abroad.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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