A newly revealed U.S. military operation in North Korea in early 2019 ended in failure and the deaths of local civilians, raising questions about Washington’s credibility during a period of high-stakes diplomacy.

According to The New York Times, Navy SEALs attempted to plant a device in North Korea to intercept Kim Jong-un’s communications during Donald Trump’s first term in office, even as he pursued nuclear talks.

But when the SEALs reached shore, “the mission swiftly unraveled,” the Times reported. A North Korean boat appeared in the darkness, and fearing detection, the commandos opened fire. “Within seconds, everyone on the North Korean boat was dead.” Later assessments suggested the victims were unarmed civilians diving for shellfish.

The SEALs aborted the mission and retreated without planting the device. U.S. reviews later deemed the killings “justified under the rules of engagement,” despite the apparent civilian status of the dead. The incident was never disclosed to Congress at the time, a move legal experts say may have violated federal law.

The operation, carried out just weeks before the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi, highlights the contradictions in Washington’s approach. While publicly presenting itself as a negotiating partner, the U.S. secretly authorized an incursion that risked provoking armed conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary.

The talks ultimately collapsed, and North Korea soon accelerated missile tests and nuclear weapons production.

Even if the leak itself — and the timing of its release — may be aimed at curtailing or hindering possible future diplomatic moves between Washington and Pyongyang, critics say the episode underscores a pattern of U.S. overreach and unreliability.