NYT: US SEAL’s 2019 Covert Bid to Tap Kim’s Communications Aborted After Killing N Korean Civilians

By Staff, Agencies

The New York Times reported Friday that a secret 2019 US Navy SEAL mission to plant an electronic device inside North Korea to intercept Kim Jong-un’s communications collapsed after an unexpected encounter with a civilian boat.

According to the report, SEAL Team 6 — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden — infiltrated North Korean waters during nuclear talks between Kim and then-President Donald Trump.

The mission called for deployment from a nuclear-powered submarine using mini-subs, but the team aborted after running into a small North Korean vessel.

The SEALs killed the unarmed crew, believed to be shellfish divers, before withdrawing undetected.

The plan had been months in the making, approved by Trump in late 2018 following intelligence suggestions to bridge gaps in monitoring Kim. The mission aimed to plant a newly developed device capable of intercepting the North Korean leader’s communications.

Trump, asked about the report, said he had no knowledge of the operation. The Pentagon declined to comment. It remains unclear whether Pyongyang ever learned of the botched infiltration.