Trump approved it, the mission happened, civilians died — according to the New York Times — but the U.S. still won’t confirm it. Here’s what’s solid, what’s shaky, and how the story really unfolded.
The most striking correction first: the covert 2019 SEAL Team 6 operation inside North Korea, allegedly ordered by President Donald Trump, is not just tabloid fodder. Multiple major outlets say the New York Times investigation details a mission to plant a listening device during nuclear talks — a mission that spiraled into a deadly encounter with unarmed civilians and an abort under extreme risk. What remains murky is how many died, exactly what kit was used, and whether North Korea ever figured it out.
What’s verified by multiple outlets
- The investigation: The New York Times published an in‑depth report (Sept. 5, 2025) alleging a covert SEAL Team 6 mission inside North Korea in early 2019, during high-stakes nuclear talks. Reuters, CNN, and Fox 5 NY summarized the NYT’s findings; U.S. agencies declined comment. Sources: Reuters via Investing.com; CNN/KTVZ; Fox 5 NY.
- https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/us-commandos-killed-north-korean-civiliansin-botched-2019-mission-nyt-says-4226245
- https://ktvz.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2025/09/05/new-york-times-unsuccessful-2019-navy-seal-mission-left-unarmed-north-koreans-dead/
- https://www.fox5ny.com/news/ny-times-seal-team-6-north-korea-raid
- The goal and timing: The team’s aim was to plant an electronic listening device to intercept Kim Jong Un’s communications amid the 2019 talks. Sources: Reuters/CNN summaries.
- Who went in and how: SEAL Team 6’s Red Squadron was tasked. A nuclear-powered submarine brought the team close; two mini-subs inserted them. Sources: CNN/KTVZ; The Daily Beast.
- Months of rehearsal: The squadron trained for months ahead of the mission. Source: CNN/KTVZ.
- The deadly turn: At night, the SEALs encountered a small North Korean boat, believed they’d been detected, and opened fire. The victims — two or three people, according to differing summaries — were later assessed to be unarmed civilians diving for shellfish. Sources: Reuters via Investing.com; CNN/KTVZ.
- Abort and exit: The mission was aborted; the device was never planted. Source: Newser summary of NYT.
- Secrecy and legal questions: A classified Pentagon review reportedly deemed the killings justified under the rules of engagement. The Trump administration did not notify congressional intelligence committees at the time — a potential legal issue, as Columbia Law’s Matthew Waxman notes the point of the law is to keep Congress from being “in the dark” on major ops. Sources: Reuters via Investing.com; Fox 5 NY; The Daily Beast.
- Historical context checks out: The Hanoi summit (Feb. 27–28, 2019) ended without a deal; Trump and Kim met at the DMZ on June 30, 2019; North Korea resumed missile tests later in 2019. Sources: AP, CNBC, New Yorker.
- https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-north-korea-vietnam-north-america-1a282706835d427184efc29700f94121
- https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/white-house-trump-kim-meetings-change-of-schedule.html
- https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trumps-curious-rendezvous-with-kim-jong-un-at-the-dmz
Inside the operation: a night that spun out of control The plan had movie-level stakes: slip into North Korean waters, plant a bug, and slip out — all while Trump and Kim were trying to make history at the negotiating table.
- Red Squadron, the SEAL Team 6 assault unit linked to the bin Laden raid, was tapped for the job. Background on Red Squadron: Military Times.
- A nuclear-powered submarine ferried the team close; two mini-subs carried them to shore. Multiple summaries report this; India Today adds the extraction happened in unusually shallow water — a risky maneuver the broader press has not uniformly corroborated.
Then came the flashpoint: a small boat, flashlights sweeping the water, a split-second call that the team had been burned — and shots fired. Only later, according to these reports, did they realize the people were civilians, out at night diving for shellfish.
What’s plausible but not uniformly corroborated These vivid details appear in some summaries of the NYT, but not across all major outlets. Treat them as credible but still in need of broader confirmation.
- Thermal goggle limitation: A Daily Beast summary says the team’s heat-detecting goggles may not have picked up divers in cold wetsuits.
- Concealing the bodies: The same report cites an official claiming SEALs punctured the victims’ lungs so the bodies would sink.
- Shallow-water submarine pickup: India Today describes a high-risk extraction by the larger submarine in shallow water.
- “More than two dozen” sources: Some write-ups (e.g., The New Republic) say the NYT spoke to over two dozen people familiar with the mission.
- “Biden briefed key lawmakers in 2021”: Reported by The New Republic; we haven’t seen this detail echoed by Reuters or CNN.
What remains unconfirmed or unclear Here’s where the original German story overreaches or where the record is still cloudy.
- Exact casualty count: Summaries vary between “two” and “three” civilians. The precise number is not consistently reported. Sources: Reuters via Investing.com; CNN/KTVZ.
- Did North Korea know? U.S. officials reportedly aren’t sure if Pyongyang ever pieced it together; North Korea has not publicly acknowledged it. Source: Fox 5 NY.
- Satellite uptick claim: The German article says U.S. satellites observed increased North Korean military activity after the operation. We could not verify this in Reuters, CNN, Fox 5 NY, or The Daily Beast summaries. Consider this unverified.
- Cross-checked against: https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/us-commandos-killed-north-korean-civiliansin-botched-2019-mission-nyt-says-4226245; https://ktvz.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2025/09/05/new-york-times-unsuccessful-2019-navy-seal-mission-left-unarmed-north-koreans-dead/; https://www.fox5ny.com/news/ny-times-seal-team-6-north-korea-raid; https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-ordered-seals-into-disastrous-mission-on-north-korean-soil/
- Official confirmation: As of Sept. 5, 2025, we found no on‑record U.S. confirmation or denial. Reuters notes the White House and Pentagon declined comment. Source: Reuters via Investing.com.
Why this matters
- Oversight and law: If congressional intelligence committees weren’t notified, legal experts say that could violate briefing requirements designed to prevent secret wars. Waxman’s point — “don’t keep Congress in the dark” — is central here. Sources: Fox 5 NY; The Daily Beast.
- Diplomacy in the shadows: The alleged mission unfolded while the U.S. tried to coax North Korea toward a nuclear deal. It underscores how covert action and diplomacy often run in parallel — and sometimes collide.
Our judgment
- Core story: Strongly supported. The NYT’s central claims — Trump approved the 2019 incursion, civilians were killed, the device wasn’t planted, and Congress wasn’t notified — are echoed by multiple respected outlets summarizing the NYT’s reporting. See Reuters via Investing.com; CNN/KTVZ; Fox 5 NY; Newser.
- Vivid details: Treat the body-disposal method, thermal-goggle limitation, and shallow-water extraction as credible but not fully corroborated. They appear in some summaries (Daily Beast, India Today), not in Reuters or CNN.
- Corrections to the original German piece:
- Bold claim about “satellite-observed military activity” afterward is unverified in the broader coverage we reviewed.
- Casualty count remains uncertain (“two or three”), not a fixed number.
How we vetted this We cross-checked the German article’s claims against multiple independent summaries of the New York Times investigation from Reuters, CNN, Fox 5 NY, The Daily Beast, and others. Where details appeared in only one or two secondary outlets, we flagged them as “plausible but not broadly corroborated.” We also verified the public, historical context around the 2019 Hanoi summit and subsequent DMZ meeting using AP, CNBC, and the New Yorker.
Key takeaways
- Trump’s personal authorization, the mission’s goal, and the fatal civilian encounter are backed by multiple outlets summarizing the NYT.
- The mission was aborted; no device was planted; and Congress allegedly wasn’t notified.
- Several cinematic details (like punctured lungs and thermal-goggle issues) should be handled with caution until more outlets corroborate them.
- No official U.S. confirmation or denial yet; Pyongyang has stayed silent publicly.
We’ll keep watching for official statements, additional corroboration, or contradictions as this story develops.