SEALS On Secret Mission Killed N. Korean Civilians: Inside Details Of Trump Approved 2019 Op To Spy On Kim
Then US President Donald Trump had sent US Navy SEALS on a secret mission to spy on Kim. Image courtesy: RNA
A covert US Navy SEALS mission inside North Korean waters in 2019 ended in bloodshed when several North Korean civilians were shot and killed, according to a New York Times investigation published Friday (September 5, 2025). The operation, authorized by then-President Donald Trump, aimed to plant a listening device to intercept the communications of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during sensitive nuclear negotiations.
At the time, Trump was engaged in historic yet fragile talks with Kim. US intelligence had identified a critical “blind spot” in monitoring North Korea’s leadership. By installing the covert device, Washington hoped to gain leverage over the North Korean leader ahead of the 2019 summit.
But the risks were immense as any misstep could have triggered catastrophic retaliation from the nuclear-armed regime.
US Navy Seals North Korea mission: How did it unravel?
The SEALS were deployed from a nuclear-powered submarine in North Korean waters, using two mini-subs to approach the hostile coast. SEAL Team 6’s elite Red Squadron was tasked with sneaking past border forces, installing the device, and retreating undetected. This was the same unit that killed Osama Bin Laden.
SEALS’ confidence that they could covertly achieve what they planned stemmed from the fact that they had managed a covert landing in North Korea in 2005 under President George W Bush, an operation never publicly acknowledged until now.
But the operation spiraled out of control when the unit encountered North Korean civilians believed to be diving for shellfish. According to the NYT report, the Seals opened fire, killing everyone aboard a small fishing vessel. The exact death toll remains unclear.
How did the Pentagon justify the killings?
A classified Pentagon review later ruled the killings as justified under existing rules of engagement, despite the mission’s failure. The SEALS withdrew without installing the listening device, effectively nullifying the high-risk operation. The White House, Pentagon, and US Embassy in Seoul have all declined to comment on the revelations.
Weeks later, the US President and the North Korean leader met in Hanoi, Vietnam with the talks collapsing without an agreement.
Broader consequences of Trump-backed botched mission?
The botched mission has never been publicly acknowledged by Washington or Pyongyang. Since Trump’s last summit with Kim in 2019, diplomatic talks have collapsed while North Korea has accelerated its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program.
The revelations also come just days after Trump claimed US forces had killed 11 people in a strike on a vessel allegedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, another operation shrouded in secrecy and controversy.
