Anchor: On the night President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, troops first entered the state election watchdog and its offices, even before the National Assembly. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun claimed the operation was meant to verify alleged rigging during April's general elections.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: On the night President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law Tuesday, troops stormed the National Election Commission(NEC) before the National Assembly.

Some ten members of an advance contingent entered the NEC building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province at around 10:30 p.m., before confiscating mobile phones from five employees on the night shift.

According to the election watchdog, an additional group of some 100 soldiers only conducted security operations at the lobby on the first floor, with the troops occupying the building for about three hours and 20 minutes.

Some 110 martial law troops were dispatched to the Gwacheon Government Complex at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, as other groups were sent to the NEC's training facility in the Gyeonggi city of Suwon and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission in Seoul's Gwanak District.

While mobilization of troops to infiltrate the election watchdog and related locations is highly questionable, then-martial law commander Park An-su told a parliamentary committee that he did not know the reason behind the decision.

Then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who has resigned since overseeing the entire martial law operation, told KBS via text that it was deemed necessary to obtain election systems and facilities to address allegations of election rigging.

Some conservative groups have alleged that April's general elections, in which the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) declared a sweeping victory, had been rigged.

The objective of troop deployment to the NEC and whether there was seizing of election data are expected to be included in future investigations on the martial law operation.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.