The rapid deployment of troops to the National Election Commission in the chaotic first minutes of martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night has raised suspicions in South Korea. On Thursday, firsthand accounts -- including from individuals directly involved -- emerged, suggesting the deployment had been tied to a conspiracy theory that the April 10 general election had been rigged. The main opposition party had won a landslide victory, securing the majority in the parliament.

Rep. Lee Un-ju of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said in an interview on a local YTN Radio show Friday that she suspects that the martial law troop deployment to the NEC may have been an attempt to claim election fraud, to pave way for the National Assembly to be dissolved and a new general election.

A day earlier, Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who served as the martial law commander, said at the National Assembly that he did not know the reasons behind the troop deployment to the NEC.

The National Election Commission, an independent constitutional body, is responsible for managing fair elections and overseeing matters related to political parties and campaign financing.

On the same day, however, now-former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who had advised Yoon on declaring martial law, provided an answer in a written interview with broadcasting firm SBS. When asked why the troops had been sent to the NEC, Kim said, “It was to assess the necessity of an investigation into alleged election fraud.”

In a separate interview with local daily Dong-a Ilbo on Thursday, Kim said, “It was deemed necessary to secure systems and facilities to assess the necessity of a future investigation, as many citizens had raised suspicions of election fraud.”

During the general election, Yoon's ruling People Power Party secured 90 of the 300 seats in South Korea’s unicameral parliament, while the main opposition Democratic Party won 161. Yoon’s presidential term, since it began in May 2022, has been defined by confrontations with the opposition-led legislature.

Political commentator Park Chang-hwan said that Yoon's administration is the first time in which the ruling party of the government has continued to be a minority in the National Assembly even after the midterm election.

Less than 10 minutes after Yoon declared emergency martial law late Tuesday, approximately 10 martial law troops entered the NEC’s Gwacheon office at 10:30 p.m. Around the same time, 130 troops were dispatched to the NEC training center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and 47 to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, bringing the total deployed to NEC facilities to 297 personnel. These deployments occurred an hour before troops were dispatched to the National Assembly to stop lawmakers from voting down Yoon’s martial law declaration.

Early Wednesday morning, Yoon canceled his martial law decree after the parliament voted to annul it.