President Park Geun-hye on Thursday visited a fire-ravaged market in her political stronghold of Daegu, in her first trip outside her office in over a month, as a crippling scandal rumbles on.

The embattled leader made the unannounced visit to Seomun Market, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where nearly 680 shops were destroyed and two firefighters were injured in a fire on Wednesday.

Upon her arrival, Park looked over the damaged section. The city has called on the central government to designate the area as a special disaster zone, which allows for state financial and administrative assistance.

The trip marked her first appearance outside the presidential office since Oct. 27, when she visited the southern port city of Busan to attend a ceremony marking the Day of Local Autonomy.

Daegu remains a formidable bastion of Park and other conservative politicians. The president had frequently visited the city during crucial moments of her political career, such as just before the 2012 presidential election. Reflecting this support, people at the market welcomed the chief executive and even blasted the press for spreading lies, which they argued is fueling public anger. Despite the show of support, many in the city have increasingly distanced themselves from Park in the wake of the scandal involving her and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

A significant number of citizens even took part in recent weekend rallies there calling for Park's resignation.

The president has repeatedly denied accusations made by the press and state prosecutors, only conceding she had misplaced her trust in those close to her. (Yonhap)