section_path: Jurisdiction/Jurisdictional disputes
section_name: Jurisdictional disputes
paragraph_text: Jurisdictional disputes
  
  The constitution empowers the Constitutional Court to adjudicate jurisdictional disputes (권한쟁의심판), which is derived from the German Organs Dispute (German: Organstreit). In some instances, two separate agencies may have overlapping jurisdictions, which are defined in the relevant statutes that grant those powers. As a result, it may become necessary to distinctly establish the agency responsible for a particular matter. In some other cases, the existence of jurisdiction itself can be disputed. For example, the central government in Seoul may delegate certain government projects to local governments. Local governments may attempt to dodge the delegation by petitioning the Constitutional Court, claiming they lack the constitutional jurisdiction to undertake such tasks.
  
  The most recent and prominent jurisdictional dispute arose when the National Assembly petitioned the Constitutional Court to determine whether acting president Choi Sang-mok had the authority to withhold the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk, a candidate recommended by the Assembly. The court ruled that the president did not have constitutional authority to reject the appointment of judicial nominees recommended by the National Assembly.