President Park Geun-hye's approval rating reached the highest mark since the ruling party's defeat in the April 13 parliamentary race, data showed Friday, apparently as the public cheered the outcome of her overseas trips to Africa and France.

According to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea, Park's approval rating came to 34 percent this week, up 2 percentage points from a week earlier. The survey was conducted on 1,004 South Koreans.

While Park's approval rating stood at 43 percent earlier in April, it slipped to as low as 29 percent after the ruling Saenuri Party suffered a defeat against the major opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and splinter People's Party. In the election, Saenuri only managed to grab 122 seats vis-a-vis 123 for the Minjoo Party and 38 for the People's Party.

Gallup Korea said a rising number of respondents cited her achievements in international relations and diplomacy as the main reason for the approval.

By party, Saenuri led the list with an approval rating of 29 percent, but it edged down 1 percentage point from a week earlier.

Its major rival Minjoo Party advanced 1 percentage point over the cited period to 27 percent, its highest level reached in 2016. The minor People's Party secured a 21-percent approval rating, even though it was viewed by some as having been the "biggest winner" in the general elections. (Yonhap)