The Editor: Korean Press Review

While the suicide of David Kelly wiped virtually all other news from the front pages of the UK press for several days, the South Korean papers reacted more cautiously to the death early yesterday morning of Chung Mong-hun, the chairman of the Hyundai group.

"The reason behind his suicide, which has taken the business community aback, is chiefly ascribed to his trial at the Seoul district court for his role in the $500m [£300m] secret payment to North Korea in exchange for former president Kim Dae-jung's summit with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in June 2000," reported the English-language Korea Times, which was atypical in providing blanket coverage of the death in yesterday's edition.

The Korean-language paper Dong-A Ilbo, was more representative in offering just a single news report, in which Hyundai's difficulties were given more prominence than the payments to North Korea. The country's other leading English-language paper, the Korea Herald, backed the North Korea theory, however.

"Mr Chung's motivation was not immediately clear, but he was under pressure due to a trial in connection with his involvement in the North Korea payoff scandal," said the paper. "In June, he was indicted on charges of doctoring company books to conceal the money sent to North Korea. If convicted, he could have faced up to three years in prison."

Nevertheless, the Herald, too, ran only one story on the affair in Monday's edition, so it was back to the Korea Times to consider the implications of Mr Chung's death. It felt a deterioration in relations between the two Koreas was now inevitable. "North Korea has recognised the unique role Hyundai has played in fostering closer ties, and granted the company with exclusive rights to major projects. Inheriting his father's role in the inter-Korean projects, Mr Chung was one of just a handful of South Koreans who were granted meetings with top Pyongyang officials. Now that Mr Chung has passed away, South Korea may have lost more than just a businessman whom the North had much respect for."

The North, however, was not listening. The sole report on North-South relations on the Korean Central News Agency yesterday read: "The delegation of the Teachers' Union of South Korea led by its vice-chairman Jo Hui Ju left here on Saturday. That day the delegation visited the Revolutionary Museum of Kim Il-sung university."