Trump approved failed 2019 Navy SEAL mission in North Korea that killed civilians: NYT

According to the Times, SEAL Team Six’s Red Squadron rehearsed for months. The plan involved slipping a nuclear-powered submarine close to the North Korean coast, releasing smaller mini-submarines, and having commandos swim ashore to place the device.

But the operation collapsed when the SEALs came across a small North Korean boat. Believing they had been spotted, the commandos opened fire, killing those on board. Later evidence suggested the victims were civilians diving for shellfish.

The Times said the SEALs abandoned the mission, returned to their submarine, and escaped. North Korea did not publicly acknowledge the incident, though US officials later observed heightened military activity in the area.

The White House declined to comment on the report, and the Pentagon has not issued a statement. The Times added that Trump’s administration did not notify key members of Congress before or after the mission, a move that experts said may have violated federal law.

The incident took place while Trump was pursuing high-level talks with Kim. Later in 2019, Trump became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea during a meeting at the Demilitarised Zone. Those talks, however, broke down, and Pyongyang soon resumed missile testing.

Trump, who returned to the White House in January 2025, has not commented on the report.