A tearful and apologetic South Korean President Park Geun-hye says her "heart is breaking" over a political scandal that has engulfed her administration, pledging to cooperate with prosecutors in their investigation.
Park has been rocked by an influence peddling scandal involving an old friend, sending her approval rating to just 5 per cent, a 12 percentage point drop from last week and the lowest since such polling began in 1988, according to a Gallup poll released on Friday.
In a brief televised address to journalists, Park said that prosecutors should clarify what happened and that everyone involved should be held accountable, including herself, and take responsibility if found guilty.
"It is hard to forgive myself and sleep at night with feelings of sorrow," Park, 64, said, her voice trembling.
A prosecution official declined to comment when asked if Park would be subject to investigators' questioning, which would be a first for a sitting South Korean president.
The leader of the main opposition party said Park's apology was insincere.
"The president should remove her hands from state affairs," Choo Mi-ae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a statement, stopping short of demanding Park's resignation.
Park has faced growing pressure from the public and political opponents to resign. No South Korean president has ever failed to finish their five-year term.
