Acting Pres. Han appoints controversial justice endorsed by opposition party, nominates 2 justices to fill bench

Acting President Han Duck-soo has appointed justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk to the Constitutional Court after months of standoff with opposition lawmakers.

The appointment was announced during a Cabinet meeting on this Tuesday along with the nominations of two other justices to succeed the two members of the Court poised to retire next Friday.

The two nominees include Lee Wan-gyu Director of the Ministry of Government Legislation and Ham Sang-hoon Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court.

And it is the nomination of these two justices that the opposition Democratic Party is taking issue with asserting that Han has no authority to announce such appointments given his role as the acting President of an impeached administration.

In a similar vein National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said the parliament would refuse confirmation hearings for these two candidates.