A military helicopter hovers over the National Assembly following a martial rule decree on Tuesday night in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Troops dispatched from the Defense Counterintelligence Command to take control of the National Election Commission of Korea office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, paused on the way because they felt something was amiss, military sources told The Korea Herald.

This is the first time it has been revealed why and how troops slowed down on the way to their targets, and suggests troops may have acted 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 intentionally slowed their pace or pulled off at rest stops on the way to the NEC office, according to the sources. They were also waiting on developments inside the National Assembly, they said, referring to some 280 troops’ attempt to seize the Assembly building.

The attempt, in clear violation of Article 77 of the Constitution, failed, and 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 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.

[단독] ‘선관위’ 방첩사 계엄군, “이건 아니다 싶어” 작전 미뤄

경기도 수원 중앙선거관리위원회 선거연수원에 투입된 계엄군 130여명 중 국군방첩사령부 소속 일부 요원들이 임무 수행에 적극적이지 않았고 의도적이었다는 주장이 나왔다. 임무를 받은 요원들 본인들도 무언가 이상하다는 느낌을 받았다는 얘기다.

복수의 군 관계자는 본지에 그 이유를 “(도착지로) 가다가 이상해서, 이건 아니다 싶어서”라며 “천천히 가거나 휴게소에 들르거나” 하는 식으로 늦게 연수원에 도착했다고 말했다. 또 “국회 상황을 보면서 대기했다”고 덧붙였다. 지연 과정과 이유가 구체적으로 알려지는 건 이번이 처음이다.

이 관계자는 또 “애초에 (방첩사에서) 출발이 늦었다”며 “과장급 중령들 사이에서 명령에 대한 반발도 있었다”고 말했다.

선관위가 발표한 자료에 따르면 계엄군 병력 130여명은 4일 새벽 0시 50분쯤부터 선거연수원 청사 인근에 대기하다 오전 2시 40분께 철수했다. 과천 청사에는 110여명, 관악 여론조사심의위원회에는 47명 등 총 선관위 장악에 297명이 투입됐다. 국회에 진입한 계엄군(280여명)보다 많다.

선거연수원에 배치된 방첩사 요원들이 실제로 임무 수행을 하기에 시간이 절대적으로 부족했다는 지적도 있었다.

군 관계자는 “서버에 자료가 있는데 (복사 등을 통해) 장악하기엔 시간이 부족”하다며 “아무리 해도 4시간이고 통상 6-7시간이” 필요하다고 강조했다.

최시영 기자(siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)