The martial law troops dispatched from the Defense Counterintelligence Command delayed getting to a state-run National Election Commission of Korea office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, that they were ordered to take over because they felt something was amiss, military sources told The Korea Herald on Monday.
This is the first time the revelation has been made, shedding light on why and how some of the marital law troops took pause, potentially in defiance of the martial law decree that was in effect from 11 p.m. Tuesday until the early hours of Wednesday. The constitutionality of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration that ended at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday is in dispute.
The troops on the way to the NEC office intentionally slowed their pace or pulled off at rest stops, according to the sources. They were also waiting on the developments inside the National Assembly, the sources said, referring to some 280 martial law troops’ attempt to seize the parliament building. The attempt, in clear violation of Article 77 of the Constitution, failed as lawmakers voted down the martial law.
It is unknown how many troops from the Counterintelligence Command joined the martial law team at the NEC Suwon office. The body -- officially the Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy -- trains government officials everything about elections.
The sources confirmed that the troops had left the Counterintelligence Command in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, a bit later than they were supposed to -- a move prompted, in part, by disagreement within the Command on whether to follow through on the order.
According to the National Election Commission, around 130 troops left its Suwon office at 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, after staying around the premises for about two hours. They did not break into the building. Suwon is about 30 kilometers south of Gwacheon.
Some 110 martial law troops were at the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, with some entering the building, while another office in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, was surrounded by 47 martial law troops.
The total number of troops sent to the three NEC offices slightly outnumbered those sent to the National Assembly.
Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister who is currently under arrest, told reporters that the troops were there to obtain evidence of vote rigging during the April general election. Both prosecutors and police have dismissed the allegations.
One of the military sources added that the counterintelligence troops needed several hours to take away election data stored at the Suwon office. “Such work requires at least four hours, usually from six to seven hours,” the source said.
