A covert U.S. military operation authorized by then-President Donald Trump in 2019 allegedly ended in tragedy after members of SEAL Team 6 mistakenly killed North Korean civilians and failed to complete their objective, according to a New York Times report citing over two dozen sources.
The mission, conducted by the elite Red Squadron of SEAL Team 6—the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden—sought to place a surveillance device inside North Korea to intercept high-level communications from leader Kim Jong Un. If successful, it could have provided the U.S. with valuable intelligence ahead of nuclear negotiations between Kim and Trump.
The plan involved deploying a small team of SEALs from a nuclear-powered submarine using stealth underwater vehicles known as “wet subs.” After reaching the North Korean coast undetected, they were to plant the device and exit without support from overhead drones.
However, during the February 2019 operation, the mission unraveled when a North Korean fishing boat unexpectedly appeared. Fearing exposure and unable to communicate with command, a senior SEAL reportedly opened fire, prompting the rest of the team to follow. Two to three unarmed civilians—believed to be shellfish divers—were killed. To conceal the incident, SEALs allegedly punctured the victims’ lungs to sink the bodies.
The team aborted the mission without deploying the surveillance equipment. In the aftermath, U.S. satellites detected increased North Korean military activity in the area, though it remains unclear whether Pyongyang ever uncovered the SEAL incursion.
Despite the failure, Trump’s summit with Kim Jong Un proceeded later that month in Vietnam, but no agreement was reached. North Korea resumed missile testing shortly after.
The operation had never been publicly disclosed until the Times investigation. According to legal experts cited in the report, failure to inform key congressional intelligence committees before or after the mission may have violated federal law. Former Bush administration official and law professor Matthew Waxman said such missions are “exactly the kind of thing that would normally be briefed to the committees.”
Following the transition to the Biden administration, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly ordered an internal investigation into the operation. The findings, briefed to some members of Congress in 2021, remain classified.
Despite the mission’s failure and the civilian deaths, multiple individuals involved were later promoted, according to the report.
When asked about the incident, Trump responded: “I don’t know anything about it. I’m hearing it now for the first time.”
