2019 SEAL to plant listening device in NK aborted after boat incident

A covert U.S. Navy SEAL operation in early 2019 to plant an electronic listening device on North Korean soil ended in failure and the deaths of occupants of a small North Korean boat, according to a detailed report published Friday based on interviews with current and former U.S. officials. The mission, carried out by an elite SEAL unit and authorized at the highest level of the previous administration, was intended to intercept communications linked to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a period of sensitive nuclear diplomacy but was aborted after American commandos opened fire when a fishing boat approached their insertion site.

The operation involved SEAL Team 6's Red Squadron launching in two stealth submersibles from a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine to reach a rocky shoreline under cover of night, after months of rehearsals in frigid waters. The team planned to plant a device to collect signals intelligence and then exfiltrate. According to the report, while some operators had reached shore a North Korean vessel suddenly moved toward the minisubs and shone lights in their direction. With communications deliberately limited for operational security, members of the team...