Overview
- According to the New York Times, SEAL Team 6 entered North Korea in early 2019 to install an electronic device to intercept Kim Jong-un’s communications during nuclear negotiations.
- The operation reportedly unraveled when the team encountered a small boat, opened fire, killed its occupants believed to be unarmed fishermen, abandoned the mission, and disposed of the bodies at sea.
- The reporting attributes multiple direct approvals for the mission to President Donald Trump, a claim he publicly denied when asked in the Oval Office on Friday.
- U.S. military investigations, described as top secret in the reporting, concluded the killings were justified and blamed a chain of unforeseeable events for the mission’s failure.
- The articles state congressional committees responsible for overseeing military and intelligence activities were not notified before or after the mission, raising potential legal and oversight issues.