A classified U.S. Navy SEAL mission in 2019 aimed at planting a listening device inside North Korea has been revealed, shedding light on a failed covert operation that resulted in the deaths of unarmed civilians and raised significant oversight concerns.
According to a detailed report published by The New York Times on Friday, the operation was approved by then-President Donald Trump shortly before his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The mission involved members of SEAL Team Six’s elite Red Squadron and sought to install an electronic surveillance device capable of intercepting Kim’s communications.
The plan called for a nuclear-powered submarine to approach North Korean waters, deploying two mini-submarines that would ferry the SEALs to shore. After months of rehearsals, the mission unraveled almost immediately upon landing when the team encountered a small North Korean vessel, reportedly carrying two or three civilians engaged in shellfish diving. Believing their cover had been blown, the SEALs opened fire, killing everyone aboard. A subsequent classified Pentagon review deemed the killings consistent with the rules of engagement at the time, though the mission was immediately aborted, and the listening device was never planted.
Sources cited by The Times included two dozen individuals with direct knowledge of the classified operation. While some operational details remain withheld, the report raises fresh questions about U.S. covert operations during Trump’s presidency. The White House, Pentagon, and U.S. Embassy in Seoul have all declined to comment. Furthermore, key congressional leaders were reportedly not briefed beforehand, intensifying concerns over the lack of legislative oversight.
The disclosure comes amid renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider region. Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a high-profile military parade in Beijing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting U.S. President Trump to accuse the trio of “conspiring against the United States.”
Earlier this year, South Korean media reported that Trump attempted to re-establish communication with Kim through a letter delivered via North Korea’s UN delegation, which was rebuffed, signaling Kim’s unwillingness to resume dialogue with Washington.