President Donald Trump on Friday said he didn’t know about a reported 2019 mission by SEAL Team 6 in North Korea, telling a reporter he was hearing about it for the first time. The Royal Guardian emailed the White House for more details and comments later that day.
Why This Is Important This supposed mission would show the U.S. failed in an intelligence goal against a country it was trying to have sensitive talks with. The Pentagon and White House usually don’t talk about SEAL Team 6 missions. Trump has been trying to talk to North Korea since he came back to office for his second term, but North Korea has been less open than before. North Korean officials refused a letter from Trump that was meant to start talks. The goal was to make progress toward a peace deal between North and South Korea and end their long-standing tensions.
What You Need to Know The New York Times reported on a 2019 operation that aimed to place a listening device to listen in on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during high-level nuclear talks. According to the Times, the mission went wrong when a boat started moving through the water, causing fears the SEAL team had been seen. The team opened fire, killing everyone on the boat, and then left without completing the mission. The Times said the mission needed direct approval from Trump due to its secrecy.
When asked about the mission during a press briefing at the Oval Office, Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it.” He added, “I’d have to look, but I don’t know anything about it,” and “I’m hearing it now for the first time.” The reporter also asked if Trump had spoken with North Korea since the incident, but he didn’t answer. The Pentagon said “no comment” when contacted by Newsweek. The SEAL Team 6, known as Red Squadron, had been chosen for the mission and had practiced for months. This team is famous for killing Osama bin Laden.
What Is SEAL Team 6? SEAL Team 6 is the nickname for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, part of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). They handle secret missions, and the Pentagon and White House usually say nothing about them. They are the Navy’s version of Delta Force, especially known after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Journalist Sean Naylor, who has covered national security for 20 years, wrote a book in 2015 about JSOC, including a 2008 operation where SEAL Team 6 raided Pakistan from Afghanistan to find Al-Qaeda leaders. The Times covered the book, which is one of the most detailed, though not official, looks at the team’s work. The Times described the team’s operations as “combat so intimate that they have emerged soaked in blood that was not their own.”
Trump Sought a Nuclear Deal with North Korea During his first term, Trump aimed to make deals similar to what he has tried since returning for his second term. He achieved some major successes, like the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Middle Eastern nations. He first wanted a nuclear deal with North Korea but settled for a 2018 joint statement with Kim, which set four goals: establish new relations with the U.S., build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, work toward complete denuclearization, and recover and return POW/MIA remains.
The talks could have been a big step, but the coronavirus pandemic changed everything. After Trump left office, the chances of a deal with North Korea—especially as the country struggled during the pandemic—became even less likely.
