Trump approved botched Navy SEALs mission that killed North Korean civilians in 2019: Report

During US President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, an explosive report suggested that American Navy Seals shot and killed several North Korean civilians in a botched covert mission. According to the report by The New York Times, the operation aimed at planting a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019.

Citing anonymous sources, including current and former military officials, the NYT reported that it was Trump who approved the operation during his first stint in the White House. Trump’s approval came while he was engaged in historic talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The plan was to fix the “blind spot” in US intelligence and allow the country to intercept the North Korean leader’s communications, potentially giving Trump an advantage ahead of the summit between the two leaders in 2019.

But what ended up happening

Things unravelled when the detachment of Navy Seals came across North Korean civilians who were reportedly diving to collect shellfish. According to the NYT report, the American forces opened fire, killing all those on the small fishing vessel. Eventually, there was no specification of the number of casualties.

Neither the US nor the North Korean government made the botched operation public. Interestingly, before approving the plan, the White House had been concerned that even a small military action against North Korea could provoke a “catastrophic retaliation”.

According to the NYT, a classified Pentagon review on the matter later concluded that the killings were justified under the rules of engagement. The Seals were dispatched to North Korean waters in a nuclear-powered submarine, and then deployed in two mini-subs in frigid waters to reach the shore.

A group of eight Seals was then supposed to sneak past North Korean border forces, install the device, and then escape undetected. However, the operation was disrupted by the attack on the civilians, and the Seals were eventually forced to leave without installing the device.

The American news outlet also revealed that the plan was based on a similar 2005 operation approved by then-US President George W Bush.