The South Korean military put special forces units on alert for a “serious situation regarding North Korea” hours before the president declared martial law this week, according to an opposition lawmaker, suggesting the administration played up nonexistent DPRK threats to ensure soldiers’ compliance with the unprecedented measure.

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won, secretary of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, stated in a press release that members of the army’s 707th Special Mission Group received their orders via text message at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, some 2.5 hours before Yoon Suk-yeol imposed martial law to root out alleged “pro-North Korea forces.”