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, which houses the Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy, an organization that trains government officials on 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.