ROH IN JAIL

Former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo was arrested today on charges of bribery as the widening investigation reached the office of president Kim Young-sam. The embattled ex-president, whom some prominent Koreans have openly advised to commit suicide, could face criminal prosecution on charges of maintaining an illegal slush fund. Roh has admitted to collecting $650 million while in office, but says he was following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who routinely used the slush fund to finance election campaigns, bribe opposition politicians and invest for personal profit. The real fallout could come if prosecutors discover that Kim Young-sam, elected in 1992 as an anti-graft crusader, accepted money from Roh. "Roh is like the Heidi Fleiss of Korean politics," says former Seoul bureau chief David Jackson. "There's no doubt that he could bring down quite a few political figures with what he knows. The big question is: will he take all the blame personally or will he drag down other political and business figures?" Although there is no evidence that Kim accepted money from Roh, and the president insists he has taken "not a single cent" from Roh's funds, most Koreans seem to think he's lying: public opinion polls show that 74 percent believe he took money from Roh during the elections, and 70 percent think he is still receiving payments.