President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings edged up to reach 48 percent last week in light of her U.S. visit, polls showed Monday.

The ratings marked an increase of 1.2 percentage points from the week before, according to Realmeter’s survey on 2,500 adults nationwide on Oct. 12-16.

Disapproval of her administration, meanwhile, dropped by 2.1 percentage points to 47 percent.

During the week, the ratings rose the most Thursday to reach 49.7 percent on the day Park paid a visit to the U.S. Pentagon in a move to hail the Seoul-Washington alliance.

Realmeter said the rise in the ratings appears to be due to consolidation of conservative voters upon the country’s sharply divided views on the reinstatement of state-authored history textbooks, and the diplomatic event that usually serves in favor of the leader.

Support ratings per political party all showed a steady rise as the textbook debate reinforced each side of the ideological spectrum.

The ruling Saenuri Party enjoyed an increase of 1.1 percentage points to 42.8 percent, while the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy showed a 0.6 percentage points rise to 26.3 percent.

“The ratings for the Saenuri Party notched up as the conservatives gathered upon the state history textbook controversy, not to mention the electoral fraud claim by NPAD lawmaker Rep. Kang Dong-won,” said Realmeter. Rep. Kang’s remarks suggesting rigged election in 2012 prompted backlash from the Saenuri Party as well as his own for stepping out of line.

“The NPAD, for its part, saw its ratings rebound due to the history textbook debate and the controversy over Korea’s fighter jet project KF-X,” the polling agency said. Washington turned down, once again during Park’s U.S. visit, Seoul’s request for transfer of some of the key technologies in tandem with its choice of U.S.-based Lockheed Martin to deliver next-generation warplanes.

Of the potential contenders for the next presidential election, Saenuri chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, recorded 19.9 percent, followed by NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in at 18.6 percent. Both saw a slight rise. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soo’s ratings fell 1.3 percentage points to 12.4 percent, maintaining third place, but marking the lowest since the first week of May.

From news reports