Hyundai officials announced the head of Hyundai group jumped to his death Monday from the window of his 12th-floor office, leaving behind several notes that give no clear motives for the action.

The death of Chung Mong-hun came as an especial shock because he was one of the central figures being tried for involvement in a scandal involving US$500 million dollars secretly transferred to North Korea just prior to the 2000 inter-Korean summit.

Chung also faced separate charges of falsifying company documents to hide the cash transfer. The suicide came days before he was to be summoned by prosecutors for further questioning about his role in the scandal.

Hyundai officials said the tycoon left four suicide notes - one addressed to one of his aides and the others to his family. In one note addressed to Kim Yoon-kyu, his close aide and business partner, Chung expressed remorse for being a stupid man and for doing a stupid act.

In the other notes addressed to his wife and children, the 54-year-old tycoon asked that his cremated ashes be scattered at Mount Geumgang in North Korea. A sightseeing tour of the scenic mountain is one of Chung's prominent projects in the North.

His body was taken to Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul.