Donald Trump authorized six years ago a mission to install a listening device in North Korea, but the team sent on the mission encountered some fishermen whom they killed.
The U.S. Navy SEALs shot and killed several North Korean civilians during a failed secret mission to install a listening device in North Korea in 2019, as reported by The New York Times.
Unidentified sources, including current and former military officials familiar with classified details, told the American newspaper that Donald Trump approved the operation during his first term as president because he was engaged in historic discussions with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The plan was designed to address a "blind spot" of American intelligence services that would have allowed the United States to intercept communications of the North Korean leader, giving Trump an advantage before the 2019 summit between the two leaders.
The operation carried out in North Korean waters, with the support of an American nuclear submarine, involved the infiltration of eight Navy SEALs members who were supposed to use two mini-submarines to penetrate North Korean territory. The soldiers were to place the interception device and withdraw unnoticed.
However, the mission failed when American soldiers encountered North Korean civilians who appeared to be diving for crustaceans. The team members opened fire, killing all on the small fishing boat, then withdrew without installing the device, according to a classified report. The document does not mention the number of casualties.
Neither the U.S. nor the North Korean government has made the failed operation public.
Prior to approving the plan, the White House was concerned that even a small military action against North Korea could provoke "catastrophic reprisals."
A classified Pentagon analysis later concluded that the armed attack was justified according to rules of engagement, the report states.
The newspaper also revealed that the plan was based on a similar operation from 2005, approved by George W. Bush.
Since Trump's last summit with Kim in 2019, discussions have failed, and North Korea has continued its nuclear and ballistic missile program. Moreover, Pyongyang has also sent troops to support Russia in the war in Ukraine.
T.D.