Overview

• The mission reportedly aimed to plant devices to intercept Kim Jong Un’s communications after launching from a nuclear submarine in two small submersibles.
• Reporting describes operational errors, including boosting a submersible’s motor and creating a wake, which drew a nearby North Korean boat that illuminated the area.
• SEALs on shore opened fire, confirmed all aboard were dead, assessed them as unarmed fishermen, then aborted and returned to the submarine after sinking the bodies.
• The operation was authorized as a top‑secret mission by President Trump in fall 2018, and he told reporters he did not know about it when asked this week.
• Congress was not notified at the time, and a 2021 review under the Biden administration briefed key lawmakers and concluded the killings were within rules of engagement, with reporting noting exposure could have triggered a larger conflict.