A New York Times (NYT) reporter who reported that U.S. special forces conducted an infiltration operation into North Korea in 2019 claimed that President Donald Trump's directive would have been necessary.
On the 5th (local time), NYT's national security correspondent David Phillips said in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) regarding the North Korean infiltration operation, "The president must have personally approved it."
Phillips explained, "The operation was extremely difficult and complex. If problems arose while deploying U.S. forces in North Korean territory, it could lead to hostage situations or escalate into a nuclear war."
Previously, NYT reported that the Trump administration had deployed the elite Navy special unit SEAL Team 6 to infiltrate the North Korean coast to eavesdrop on Kim Jong Un, but the mission failed when a civilian ship appeared.
According to NYT, the Trump administration recognized the need to accurately assess Kim's intentions during the negotiations for North Korea's denuclearization and decided to install an eavesdropping device developed by intelligence authorities in North Korea. This mission was assigned to the Red Squadron of the SEAL Team 6, which has a history of killing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
If detected in North Korea during the mission, it could lead to a military confrontation with a nuclear-armed enemy, so infiltrating without detection was crucial. The team had previously secretly infiltrated North Korea. SEAL team members had gone to North Korea in 2005 during the presidency of George W. Bush, riding a small submarine, and returned undetected.
The SEAL team also utilized a small submarine in the 2019 operation. The team had to travel about two hours to the coast while exposed to seawater at approximately 4 degrees Celsius, so they used scuba equipment and heated wetsuits. However, there was a significant limitation in that they had to conduct the operation with almost no visibility.
In February 2019, President Trump announced that he would meet with Commissioner Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam. The SEAL team headed toward North Korea on a nuclear-powered submarine, and it is reported that President Trump ultimately approved the mission just as they were trying to cut off communications at sea.
The nuclear-powered submarine approached the North Korean coast. Two small submarines moved to a point about 100 yards (approximately 91 m) from the target, passing through clear and shallow water. They studied the behavior of North Korean fishermen for months to choose a time when fishing boats would be least active.
On the night of the mission, the weather and sea were calm, and it seemed that the intelligence authorities' judgment was correct as the coast appeared empty when the small submarines approached.
The SEAL team made their first mistake when they arrived at the point where they were to dock the small submarine. One small submarine was submerged as planned, but the other had to make a U-turn after passing the docking point.
Originally, the plan was to dock the two small submarines facing the same direction, but the U-turn caused them to face different directions.
With time running short, the SEAL team decided to send team members to the shore first and address the docking issue later. The SEAL team quietly moved toward the coast underwater with the eavesdropping device.
NYT reported that a second mistake may have occurred here. There was a small boat carrying North Koreans. It appears that the wetsuits worn by the North Koreans were too cold from the seawater to be detected.
The SEAL team arrived at the shore thinking that no one was there and began to take off their diving equipment. The target was just a few hundred yards away.
A third mistake may have occurred here. Some team members speculated during a debriefing following the mission's failure that the waves caused by the motors may have been detected by the North Koreans in the boat. The North Korean boat moved toward the small submarine.
SEAL team members had no way to communicate with each other, and the mission commander was also on the nuclear-powered submarine. As the SEAL team failed to identify the North Koreans, a man from the North Korean boat jumped into the sea.
The senior team member silently aimed his rifle at the boat and fired, with other team members instinctively following suit.
The SEAL team's plan was to abandon the mission immediately if they encountered anyone. North Korean forces could come, and they had no time to install the eavesdropping device.
The shore team swam to the boat to check if all the North Koreans were dead. Everyone, including the North Korean who jumped into the sea, was reported dead. It is said that there were no firearms or military uniforms on the boat. The SEAL team submerged the bodies of the North Koreans to hide them.
Afterward, the SEAL team returned to the small submarine and sent a rescue signal, and the nuclear-powered submarine, believing they were in danger of capture, took a significant risk by moving to a shallow area near the coast.
The U.S. forces escaped without any injuries.
However, President Trump distanced himself from questions about the North Korean infiltration operation during the signing ceremony of an executive order that day, saying, "I can check, but I know nothing. This is the first time I'm hearing of it."
In response, Phillips noted, "Such secret operations must be reported to the federal congressional leadership under the relevant laws, but the Trump administration did not report the North Korean infiltration operation. Ultimately, the Biden administration, which took office in 2021, became aware of this operation and belatedly informed Congress."