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By Park Si-soo
President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has hit a new low of 10.4 percent, down from 17.5 percent last week, amid the biggest political scandal in her administration that centers on Park's shadowy longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
Park's approval rating in Seoul and surrounding Incheon and Gyeonggi Province crumbled to single digits -- 8.3 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively -- for the first time since her inauguration in February 2013, according to a recent poll.
Park's solid fan base -- people in their 60s or older -- is showing signs of cracking. The approval rate in this age group fell below 20 percent for the first time.
The figures come from a nationwide survey by ResearchView, which randomly polled 1,088 adults across the country through mobile phone interviews.
Experts said the data shows Park's leadership is in a state of "death" and there is "nothing she can do" at the moment.
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Nearly 38 percent of people demanded that Park step down while 16.9 percent supported forming a bipartisan Cabinet, with President Park spending her remaining time in office as a symbolic, powerless head of state. Nearly 17 percent supported the launch of an independent counsel to get to the bottom of the scandal.
About 75 percent said the situation will get worse, with little chance of Park regaining people's confidence.
According to ResearchView, the survey was held on Oct. 31. The result has a confidence level of 95 percent, with a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percent.
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