S.Korean president apologizes

South Korea's embattled president apologized yesterday for a US beef import deal that sparked street protests and said he will sack top aides but analysts said that might not be enough to reverse a slide in public support.

Lee Myung-bak, who easily won December's election with pledges of pro-business reforms for the world's 13th largest economy, now has an approval rating of less than 20 percent. He said he wants a fresh start for his four-month-old government.

"No matter how urgent a national agenda it was, we should have paid attention to what the people wanted and how they will accept it. My government and I painfully regret this," Lee said in nationally televized address. "I will make it a top priority to stabilize prices and look after the lives of the working people," Lee said.