Failed 2019 Navy SEALs Infiltration โคAttempt โขin North Korea Revealed
WASHINGTON โข – A clandestine 2019 โขoperation by U.S. Navy โSEALs โto intercept communications from North Koreanโฃ leaderโฃ Kim Jong-un failed after encountering a North Korean vesselโ and resulting in the deaths of civilian fishermen, according โto a reportโฃ published by โข The New โyork Times. The โmission,โค undertaken during โคDonald Trump’s first term as president, aimed โฃto install advanced โelectronic listening equipment to monitor high-levelโ North Korean discussions โregarding nuclear weapons.
Approximately twenty sources familiar with the operation detailed how the SEALs encountered a boat carrying individuals who were perceived as a threat. Fearing exposure, the U.S. military personnel reportedly shot and killed those on board, later discovering โคthey were not military personnel but civilian fishermen. To conceal the incident and prevent attribution to a โขforeign military action, the โbodies were hidden at sea, even utilizing knives.
Theโข operationโ was โultimately aborted without the installationโ of the listening โdevices,due to the encounter and further complications including anโ incorrect maneuver โby a SEAL minisubmarine. The mission was conducted “blind,” โlacking real-time imagery orโฃ aerial support due to concerns about detection.Sources within the Trump โคgovernance indicatedโ a โfear โthat a failed mission could escalate tensions โคwith North Korea,a nation possessing nuclear weaponsโ and technically still at war with South Korea.
The operation was not disclosedโ toโ Congress, a potential violation ofโฃ federalโ law, according to some testimonies gathered by The New York Times. โขThe newspaper reported speaking with two dozen individuals connected to the mission, including government officials, Trump administration members, โand currentโ and retired military personnel.
While the White House has not officially confirmed the mission,President Joe Biden ordered an โself-reliant examination upon taking office in 2021. The Biden administration afterward informed the relevant congressional committee about theโ operation, albeit secretly. The incident remains largely classified, marking the first public reporting of the event.