S.Korean president's approval rating stays at 4 pct after national address

South Korean President Park Geun-hye's approval rating stayed at an all-time low of 4 percent for two weeks even after she addressed the nation earlier this week over the scandal involving herself.

Support for Park was unchanged this week at the lowest for any South Korean president, according to a Gallup Korea survey released on Friday. It was based on a poll of 1,003 voters conducted from Tuesday to Thursday.

Park's approval scores stood at five percent for three weeks in a row, before falling further to four percent last week.

The embattled president issued the national address on Tuesday, a third since the biggest political crisis Park ever faced emerged in October, but it enraged the general public further as she admitted to no wrongdoing.

During the speech, Park said she had not pursued any personal gains "for a flash" as she believed that things would be in the public interests.

Prosecutors branded the scandal-hit president as a criminal accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime confidante who was indicted on multiple counts including abuse of power and extortion. Park became the first South Korean leader to be investigated by prosecutors as a suspect.

Park offered to rival political parties coming up with schedules and legal procedures on her resignation, but it divided the political arena, triggering public fury that the president made the overtures as part of efforts to delay her resignation.

The ruling party suggested a timeline to let President Park step down by April next year and hold a presidential election two months later.

Describing the suggestion as a ploy to buy time, the opposition bloc agreed to impeach President Park next Friday.

The biggest opposition Minjoo Party maintained the first place with its approval rating of 34 percent this week. It was followed by the ruling Saenuri Party with 15 percent and the minor opposition People's Party with 14 percent. Endit