A report in the New York Times says the US Navy SEALs botched an attempt to plant a listening device in North Korea during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
The report, published on Friday, says the covert mission took place in early 2019 and was aimed at intercepting the communications of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The two countries were engaged in high-level bilateral talks around that time.
The story is based on interviews with more than 20 people, including government officials and service members.
It says a Navy SEAL squadron approached North Korea at night using submarines, and then started swimming toward the shore. But a small North Korean boat appeared and the SEALs opened fire, fearing that they had been spotted. They reportedly killed everyone onboard, and retreated.
The report says the crew of the boat were unarmed and believed to be civilians diving for shellfish.
The report says the risky mission required Trump’s direct approval.
It says the Trump administration did not notify Congress before or after the mission, and the lack of information may have violated federal law.
In February 2019, the US and North Korean leaders met in Vietnam for the second round of talks following a summit in Singapore in 2018. The New York Times says gaining insight into Kim’s thinking became a high priority when Trump first took office.
Speaking to NHK, a US Defense Department official refrained from commenting on the operation.
Trump was asked about the operation by a reporter at the White House. He said he does not know anything about it and he was hearing it for the first time.