North Korea's Kim expresses condolence over Roh's death

North Korea's Kim Jong Il has expressed condolences to the family of ex-South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who leaped off a cliff to his death over the weekend, the North's state media said Monday.

The North's Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch that Kim expressed "profound condolences" for Roh's wife Kwon Yang-sook and other family members, upon hearing the news of his death.

Roh, who served as South Korean president from 2003-2008, jumped off a rocky cliff on Saturday after he and his family members recently faced intense questioning over allegations they took $6 million from a businessman.

Roh, who sought to reconcile with North Korea, traveled to Pyongyang in 2007 for a historic summit with Kim, the second such meeting between leaders of the divided countries.

Ties between the Koreas, however, have gradually frayed since Roh left office last year and conservative, pro-U.S. President Lee Myung-bak succeeded him with a tougher policy on the North. Since then, reconciliation talks have been cut off and all key joint projects except the factory park have been suspended.

Tens of thousands of South Koreans have visited the southern rural village of Bongha where Roh has lived since he left office. The 62-year-old former leader jumped off from a mountain cliff behind his Bongha home, after leaving behind a note describing his suffering over the corruption probe.