It was a high-risk mission inside North Korea, so it was entrusted to the special forces "Navy SEALs", but it resulted in a failed operation and ended with the murder of several fishermen. A secret story that took place in 2019 and has now been revealed in an article in the " New York Times" .
The first part of the story is about diplomacy. In 2018, the White House sought dialogue with Pyongyang, but the Americans were “blind” to what was happening in the communist country. They had little information and so decided to carry out a risky action, authorized by President Trump himself, given the possible consequences.
The Pentagon prepared an incursion that was entrusted to “Team 6” of the Red Seal Squadron. The commandos would land on the North Korean coast and plant a device to intercept the communications of leader Kim Jong Un. The team trained for months, aware of the difficulties, unlikely to find any support inside a closed and well-guarded country.
The order arrived in early February, a few weeks before the Hanoi summit between Kim and Donald Trump.
An attack submarine approached the peninsula in the dark and two mini-submarines were launched, each carrying four commandos. They were supported by a reinforcement unit and a secret helicopter stationed offshore. They were ready to intervene in case of emergency.
The mini-submarines arrived near the coast, but one of them was poorly positioned, a little far from where it was supposed to be. According to the New York Times, this is where the first problem arose. The commandos “disembarked” and were ready to carry out their task.
But then came the second problem. Unforeseen. A small North Korean ship appears. Those on board may have noticed something strange. In fact, the sailors are using beacons and one of them jumped overboard.
It is very likely that the second mini-submarine, forced to move to reach the predetermined position, aroused suspicion.
The commandos were unable to communicate with the commander on the submarine, so the highest-ranking soldier opened fire on the ship, followed immediately by his companions. The commandos then reached the hull of the ship and, after a quick search, discovered that they had killed a handful of fishermen, not soldiers.
The mission went wrong and the team returned to the support submarine without further problems.
A secret Pentagon investigation later concluded that the killings were justified under the rules of engagement.
In the following days, spy satellites detected intense activity from North Korean ships in the area, but the regime reported no news. In late November, the two presidents met in Vietnam, a face-to-face meeting that ended inconclusively.
The Pentagon's subsequent investigation revealed several problems with an obviously reckless initiative by the White House.
First, communication and reconnaissance problems in the final segment. This happened because the commandos could not use every system at their disposal, for fear of detection.
Secondly, the appearance of the small boat in the area: extensive satellite surveillance and a study of fishermen's routes had ruled out any such presence.
Third, maneuvering errors, which are always possible in such situations.
It is not clear where the landing took place; it may have been near Wonsan, where Kim has a villa and a mooring for his yacht and a luxury houseboat. They say it is one of his favorite places, having grown up there.
The newspaper's writing comes just hours after the "Marshal"'s triumphant trip to Beijing, where he took part in a grand parade alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. This is a recognition of North Korea's importance in the anti-Western movement.
We will see if the New York Times' "coup" will push the Kim regime to speak out about the grave violation of its sovereignty, which includes a direct attack and the killing of civilians.