President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Seoul, Oct. 29. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a press conference on Thursday to address a growing election meddling scandal involving himself and his wife, the presidential office said, Monday.

The plan was announced after the head of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) called on Yoon to apologize to the public over the issue and other allegations.

"The president will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. at the presidential office on Thursday," the office said in a text message sent to reporters.

"Marking the halfway point of his presidency, Yoon will discuss his achievements so far and outline his plans for leading the country moving forward. He will also take questions to address any issues the public is eager to know about."

The presidential office initially considered whether to hold a press conference early or later this month. However, after consulting with his aides, the president chose to move the date forward to engage with the public sooner.

People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon speaks during the ruling conservative party's supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Earlier in the morning, Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the PPP, called for Yoon's apology and urged first lady Kim Keon Hee to immediately cease her public activities. He called on the president to implement a full-scale reshuffle of the presidential office staff to revitalize the administration.

The ruling party leader's demands come amid a growing scandal alleging that Yoon and Kim interfered in the PPP's candidate selection process for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through a political broker.

Amid the snowballing crisis in the ruling bloc, the president's job approval rating fell below 20 percent in recent public opinion polls.

"The president should openly and thoroughly address the public's concerns and take necessary steps, including issuing an apology. It is unfortunate that recordings and messages showing communication between the president, the first lady and a political broker have been publicly disclosed," Han said during the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul.

Han said the public may be disappointed by allegations suggesting that some prominent politicians within the party had been influenced by political brokers.

"The public's disappointment poses a serious crisis for the ruling party and the government. To overcome this crisis, we must be transparent and resolute," Han stressed.

Han's remarks refer to a recorded phone conversation between Yoon and Myung Tae-kyun, who claims to be a political broker, which was disclosed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Thursday. The conversation suggested that the president attempted to influence the candidate selection process in favor of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun for a district in South Gyeongsang Province ahead of the 2022 by-election.

First lady Kim Keon Hee talks with officials from the Lao government as she arrives at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, Oct. 9. Yonhap

In particular, the first lady has also been allegedly involved in the election meddling scandal, along with facing a series of other allegations, including involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and accepting a luxury handbag. Additionally, it is claimed that her close aides within the presidential office are improperly influencing decisions related to personnel and policy matters.

In this context, the ruling party leader, a longtime prosecutor and close colleague of the president, urged Yoon to conduct a complete overhaul of staff members who have not provided effective support. Han also called on the presidential office to immediately halt the first lady's public activities.

Han also requested that the presidential office appoint a special inspector to oversee matters related to the presidential family, saying that this would be a sensible step to prevent similar issues in the future.

The office of the special inspector was created back in 2014 to investigate alleged misconduct by the president's spouse, close relatives, and senior presidential officials. But the position has remained unoccupied since 2016.

President Yoon Suk Yeol talks with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon during their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Oct. 21. Courtesy of the presidential office

As scandals and allegations continue to surround the presidential office, Yoon's approval ratings have fallen into the 10 percent range. Typically, an approval rating of 20 percent is viewed as the minimum threshold for effective governance.

In light of this situation, Yoon did not attend a parliamentary address on the annual budget proposal for the upcoming year, marking the first time in 11 years that a president skipped this speech. This tradition began in the first year of former President Park Geun-hye's term.

Instead, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivered the presidential message, emphasizing the four reform agendas being pursued by the Yoon administration.

The presidential office explained that Yoon skipped the event because his appearance at the Assembly would only create a scene of political strife while the DPK is calling for the impeachment of the president.

Political analysts criticized the presidential office for not confronting the escalating allegations directly, instead of increasing briefings on policies. They emphasized that the current political deadlock will not be resolved without the president's acceptance of a special investigation.

"The presidential office's explanations so far have failed to sufficiently resolve public concerns or doubts over the string of allegations. It seems like key aides and staff members at the presidential office have been staying in their own castles and turning a deaf ear to the public's requests. This would ultimately undermine Yoon's hallmark principles of fairness and common sense. The situation cannot be resolved without accepting special investigations over the issues," Shin Yul, political professor at Myongji University, told The Korea Times.