S.Korean president's approval rating falls to new record low at 4 pct

File photo shows South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers her speech during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, February 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - South Korean President Park Geun-hye saw her approval rating fall to a new record low, dragging down the support for the ruling Saenuri Party.

According to a weekly survey by Gallup Korea released on Friday, only 4 percent of respondents supported Park, posting the lowest for any South Korean president.

Approval scores for Park were down from 5 percent, which the first South Korean female leader had maintained in the previous three weeks.

Park was identified on Sunday by prosecutors as an accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, Park's decades-long friend who was indicted for multiple counts including abuse of power and extortion.

Prosecutors repeatedly requested a face-to-face questioning of the embattled president, but Park's attorney said the chief executive will reject any interrogation demand down the road.

In her second public apology earlier this month, Park said she will accept a direct investigation into herself. The acceptance is believed to have been advised by Choi Jae-kyung, new senior presidential secretary on civil affairs in charge of monitoring prosecutors, police and the spy agency.

Park's lawyer, however, reversed the recommendation and rejected the interrogation call. Park's counsel, former prosecutor, said the president will accept the questioning by a special prosecutor, who is forecast to launch an independent investigation into the case next month.

The senior presidential advisor on civil affairs and Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong reportedly submitted their resignations to President Park earlier this week, but Park hasn't decided yet on whether to accept the resignations.