Report: US Navy SEALs Killed North Korean Civilians in Botched 2019 Mission

A recent report by a leading US news outlet reveals that US Navy SEALs killed several North Korean civilians during a botched mission in early 2019. The operation, reportedly approved by then-President Donald Trump, aimed to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed nation.

The New York Times detailed that the classified mission was executed by the US Navy’s SEAL Team 6 amidst high-stakes diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. The elite unit, known for its role in killing Osama bin Laden, was tasked with covertly deploying ashore to install a surveillance device.

Operating under the cover of night with strict communication blackouts, a series of errors led to an unexpected encounter. Several North Korean fishermen, reportedly diving for shellfish, inadvertently stumbled upon the US special forces as they came ashore. The SEALs reportedly opened fire, killing all individuals on the small fishing vessel, though the exact number of casualties was not specified.

Officials familiar with the mission told the Times that the US soldiers subsequently pulled the bodies into the water to conceal them from North Korean authorities. One source described how SEAL members allegedly “punctured the boat crew’s lungs with knives to make sure their bodies would sink.”

The Times gathered its information from dozens of sources, including civilian government officials, members of the first Trump administration, and current and former military personnel, all speaking anonymously due to the mission’s classified nature. Some sources cited concerns over government secrecy often obscuring military special operations failures.

While sources indicated President Trump gave the final approval for the mission during his first term, Trump himself denied any knowledge of the operations when questioned by reporters about the report. US officials remain uncertain if Pyongyang ever fully understood what transpired in 2019. North Korea has not publicly commented on the civilian deaths at the time or since the Times’ story was published.

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