Inside Trump’s top secret North Korea raid, deadly midnight shootout sparked chaos in 2019

In early 2019, Donald Trump approved a secret mission to send Navy SEALs into North Korea to plant a listening device near Kim Jong Un. The operation was part of high-stakes nuclear talks with Kim, ahead of Trump’s first face-to-face summit in Vietnam.

The mission was given to SEAL Team 6, the same unit that killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Months of rehearsal went into planning a stealthy approach: SEALs would use submarines to reach the North Korean coast and plant the device undetected, as reported by Daily Mail.

SEAL mission plan

SEALS were to be abroad a nuclear submarine , reaching near the coastline of North Korea, before deboarding and getting on to wet mini- submarines to reach the shore—which required the seals to stay under water at 40 degrees in scuba suits.


SEALs believed the mission was possible because they had successfully done a similar North Korea infiltration in 2005 during George W. Bush’s presidency. Trump’s plan called for planting the listening device inside Kim’s residence and leaving it undetected.

The mission faced immediate technical issues: no overhead drones were available, and the SEALs couldn’t fully communicate with the mini-subs due to risk of interception. Despite the communication blackout, the SEALs went ahead during the dead of night, and the mission initially seemed on track, as stated by The New York Times.

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One mini-sub overshot its mark under the water and had to make a U-turn on the ocean floor, causing the teams to face different directions on the shore. Commanders decided the mistake could be fixed after the SEALs landed, so the teams continued to the coastline.

The SEALs approached the target using untraceable weapons and got close to the planned site. A North Korean boat carrying what the SEALs thought were military personnel appeared nearby, shining flashlights and talking in the water. Unable to communicate with the mini-sub pilots, the SEALs on shore decided to open fire, according to the report by Daily Mail.

They killed the people on the boat, only later realizing they were civilian shellfish divers, not military. The mission was immediately aborted; the listening device could not be planted. The main submarine risked shallow waters to pick up the SEALs and escape safely, trying to cover the mission’s failure.

Mission failure and aftermath

North Korea reportedly increased military activity in the area afterward, but it’s unknown if Kim ever learned what really happened. Despite the failed mission, Trump held his Vietnam summit with Kim in February 2019 and visited North Korea in June, becoming the first US president to step beyond the DMZ, according to the report by Daily Mail.

Neither summit resulted in nuclear agreements, and North Korea continued to expand its nuclear program. The military reviewed the SEAL operation afterward, keeping details classified; insiders said the killings of the civilians were justified under rules of engagement.

The White House declined to comment to The Times and did not respond to the Daily Mail regarding the report. The Trump administration reportedly did not inform Congress or intelligence oversight committees about the operation or its failure, which may have broken federal law. The mission was considered necessary at the time to gain a strategic advantage and understand Kim’s mindset during nuclear negotiations.

FAQs

Q1. What happened in Trump’s secret North Korea SEAL mission in 2019?
SEAL Team 6 tried to plant a listening device near Kim Jong Un, but accidentally killed civilian fishermen and had to abort the mission.

Q2. Did the SEAL mission affect Trump’s talks with Kim Jong Un?
The mission failed, but Trump still held his Vietnam summit and later visited North Korea, though no nuclear deal was made.