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Prominent South Korean Lawmaker Leaps to His Death

by VOA News

   A prominent South Korean lawmaker under investigation in a corruption
   scandal has committed suicide.

   Yonhap news agency says Representative Roh Hoe-chan, a leader of the
   left-leaning Justice Party, was found dead near the entrance of an
   apartment building in central Seoul early Monday morning. Yonhap says
   the 61-year-old, three-term lawmaker jumped to his death.

   Roh was under investigation over allegations he received over $44,000
   from a blogger at the center of an online opinion-rigging scandal.
   Yonhap says Roh left a suicide note in his apartment admitting to
   accepting money, but denying any wrongdoing.

   He also apologized to his family in the note.

   Independent counsel Huh Ik-bum expressed his condolences about the
   tragedy in a press conference just hours after Roh's suicide.

   South Korea has one of the world's highest suicide rates.Victims
   include disgraced politicians and business executives. One of the most
   prominent figures in recent years to commit suicide was former
   President Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped to his death in 2009 over a
   corruption scandal.