SEOUL, South Korea — President Park Geun-hye proposed revising the Constitution on Monday, calling South Korea’s single-term restriction on presidents outdated. Her initiative is the first serious attempt to rewrite the country’s Constitution since it was last amended in 1987 to end decades of military dictatorship.

Opposition leaders immediately accused Ms. Park of making the surprise proposal to divert attention from a growing scandal that involved some of her close associates and helped push her approval ratings to a record low. But they did not immediately reject the idea of amending the Constitution.

During a nationally televised speech, Ms. Park cited recent surveys in which 70 percent of respondents voiced frustration with deeply polarized domestic politics and supported a constitutional revision as a potential remedy. Ms. Park said she hoped that the next government would be formed under a new constitution and asked rival parties to start discussing a draft revision.

Under the Constitution, Ms. Park is limited to a single five-year term that ends in February 2018. She is barred from seeking re-election even if the Constitution is changed to allow a second term.