File: This picture taken on August 30, 2011 shows fishermen going out in their boats near Rason in North Korea. (Photo by GOH CHAI HIN/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - The New York Times on Friday reported details of what it says was a deadly failed raid into North Korea by a U.S. Special Operations team during President Trump’s first term back in 2019.
Details of the risky mission were never made public, the paper says, but they made the decision to publish now because some military officials told them there was not enough accountability for the failure of the mission – and others.
LINK: Read the full story from the New York Times
Failed North Korea mission
The backstory:
According to the report, the goal of the reported SEAL Team 6 mission was to plant a surveillance device to intercept high-level communications ahead of a nuclear summit, but an unexpected encounter with a North Korean fishing boat interrupted the SEALs, who opened fire.
Two or three North Koreans, later determined to be civilians fishing for shellfish, were killed. The SEALs aborted the mission and safely left the area; a subsequent nuclear summit between the U.S. and North Korea followed unproductively but uneventfully.
"U.S. officials said it was unclear whether the North Koreans ever pieced together what had happened and who was responsible," the story noted.
While classified military actions – successes or failures – are common, the White House failed to notify Congress. That’s a potential violation of law, according to the paper.
File: A Navy diver and special operator from SEAL Delivery Team 2 perform underwater operations with USS Florida in 2007 (U.S. Navy photo).
Why they published
What they're saying:
"These missions often remain shielded by secrecy laws, leaving most Americans with no way to know about major actions that influence national security and may have an impact on their lives," the Times’ assistant managing editor, Patrick Healy, explained, noting that some sensitive information was withheld from the story to protect future missions.
"Officials said they were discussing classified details because the mission highlights a problem that plagues Special Operations," he continued. "That problem is that these missions require extreme care and precision but are exceptionally vulnerable to failure. Some are big successes; others go wrong. There is often little public accountability."
File: SEALs and divers from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 swim back to the guided-missile submarine USS Michigan during a 2012 exercise in the southern Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kristopher Kirsop)
Mixed reaction to story
The other side:
Some readers are defending SEAL Team 6 – perhaps known best for the dramatic raid that killed Osama bin Laden – while others are questioning the paper’s decision to reveal old classified information that could potentially anger a nuclear-capable rival.
"Transparency is one thing but there are elements of this reporting that strike me as incredibly dangerous given how contentious our relationship is with North Korea," one reader wrote in the paper’s most up-voted comment on the story.
"Weigh the danger of riling up North Korea against the chance that this article will spark meaningful change in the current administration," another wrote. "Not going to happen, so is the risk worth the possible reward?"
According to the Times, Joint Special Operations Command and White House both declined to comment for the story.
President denies knowledge
What they're saying:
At a Friday afternoon press availability, President Trump was asked about the Times' report and denied knowing anything about it.
"I don't know anything about it, no. I could look, but I know nothing about it," he said. "I'm hearing it now for the first time."
The Source: Information from the New York Times’ story was used in this report, along with comments from the paper’s website.