Millions of people across South Korea expressed anger and grief at the funeral of Roh Moo Hyun, the former president who committed suicide last weekend while being investigated for a multimillion-pound corruption scandal.

Mourners lined the streets, weeping openly at the passing of Mr Roh’s cortège as it transported his body 200 miles from his home in the south-east of the country to the Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul. Hundreds of thousands of people listened to speeches in the capital’s central plaza accusing the Government of the current president, Lee Myung Bak, of hounding Mr Roh to his death for political reasons.

“Today condolences, tomorrow anger,” read a slogan on many of the banners. Tearful mourners accused the conservative Mr Lee of the “political murder” of his predecessor and ideological opponent. South Korean internet users swapped conspiracy theories, so far completely unproven, that his death was an assassination.

The funeral eclipsed the week’s other dramatic event – the testing of a nuclear bomb by North Korea, and its subsequent firing of short-range missiles. Another missile was fired into the sea today, and North Korea threatened “additional self-defence measures” if it is censured by the United Nations Security Council that is presently discussing a response to the nuclear test, including possible sanctions.

South Korean television was dominated by images of the funeral and the vast crowds who turned out to pay their last respects, many of them dressed in traditional hemp funeral garments, or in yellow, Mr Roh’s campaign colour.

Some 2,500 invited dignitaries attended a formal ceremony at the palace, which was followed by a “people’s funeral” at the City Hall Plaza. Up to 21,000 police, including riot squads, have been deployed in the city, most of them concentrated around the Plaza where a makeshift shrine has drawn long lines of mourners.

“We are sorry, we love you and we were happy with you,” said Han Myung Sook, South Korea’s first female prime minister, and an appointee of Mr Roh. “Please rest in peace.”

When Mr Lee stepped forward to place a wreath, he was booed by members of the public watching the ceremony on giant screens outside. Inside the Palace grounds, one member of parliament, Baek Won Woo, was seized by bodyguards as he leaped forward, shouting curses and demanding that Mr Lee apologise. “This is political revenge, a political murder,” he said as he was dragged away.

Mr Roh had been questioned by prosecutors in connection with allegations of $6 million of bribes allegedly paid by a wealthy businessman to his family. He never admitted wrongdoing and after his death the prosecutors announced that they were dropping the investigation.

He died early on Saturday after falling down the 100ft Owl Cliff close to his home, where he was walking with a single security guard. According to the South Korean media, he asked his companion for a cigarette and suddenly leapt before he could be stopped. Later it emerged that the guard was 200 yards away when he leapt.

“A lot of people have suffered because of me,” he wrote in an apparent suicide note. “The rest of my life will only be a burden. I can’t do anything because of my poor health. I can’t even read or write anything. Don’t be too sad. Life and death are both a part of nature. Don’t be sorry. Don’t hold grudges against anyone. It’s destiny.”

But the note was found in a file on his computer and had not been printed out or signed, fuelling conspiracy theories about his death.

“I am a housewife who does not really know about politics,” said Choi Sun Kyu in Seoul. “But I know that former President Roh did so much for our country. He was the only president who cared so much about the people.”

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