US Navy "SEALs" used firearms and killed an unspecified number of North Korean civilians in a failed covert operation to plant a listening device in North Korea during diplomatic talks in 2019 between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources, including current and former military personnel familiar with the details of the still-classified operation, the newspaper said.
Citing unnamed sources, including current and former military personnel familiar with the details of the still-classified operation, the newspaper said Trump approved it during his first term, when he held historic talks with Kim.
The Pentagon and the US embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the report.
The civilians appeared to have been diving for shellfish when they were unexpectedly confronted by a detachment of US Marines. "SEALs" who were landing on a beach under cover of night, the newspaper said. The American commandos opened fire and killed the fishermen who had gone out to sea in a small boat, the publication added, without specifying the number of people killed.
A secret Pentagon report later concluded that the killings were justified under current rules of engagement, the publication said.
After Trump's last meeting with Kim in 2019, negotiations between the two countries were frozen, and North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and missile programs, Reuters said.