Acting President Han Duck-soo on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by the National Assembly that would have restricted his authority to appoint Constitutional Court justices, escalating a political confrontation ahead of South Korea’s June 3 snap presidential election. The Cabinet, chaired by Han, approved a motion requesting parliamentary reconsideration of the amendment, which sought to limit an acting president’s ability to appoint justices assigned to the presidential share of the nine-member bench.

Han defended the veto during a Cabinet meeting, arguing that the Constitution grants an acting president the full scope of presidential powers without separate limitations. His move comes after the Constitutional Court earlier this month suspended his nominations of two justices, raising doubts about the acting president’s appointment authority. Two Constitutional Court justices resigned on April 18, leaving seven justices still in office — enough to maintain a quorum for rulings.