Acting President Han Duck-soo said he will defer appointing Constitutional Court justices until rival parties reach an agreement on the matter.

Han made the announcement during an emergency televised address on Thursday, amid mounting pressure from the opposition to appoint three justices.

He noted that no Constitutional Court justices have previously been appointed without bipartisan agreement.

The acting president said that he believes refraining from exercising the presidential authority to appoint court justices aligns with the spirit of the law and the Constitution.

The main opposition Democratic Party has warned that Han will face impeachment if he fails to proceed with the appointments after the National Assembly passes the relevant bill.