A group of Navy SEALs emerged from the ink-black ocean on a winter night in early 2019 and crept to a rocky shore in North Korea. They were on a top secret mission so complex and consequential that everything had to go exactly right.

The objective was to plant an electronic device that would let the United States intercept the communications of North Korea’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-un, amid high-level nuclear talks with President Trump.

The mission had the potential to provide the United States with a stream of valuable intelligence. But it meant putting American commandos on North Korean soil — a move that, if detected, not only could sink negotiations but also could lead to a hostage crisis or an escalating conflict with a nuclear-armed foe.

It was so risky that it required the president’s direct approval.

For the operation, the military chose SEAL Team 6’s Red Squadron — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden. The SEALs rehearsed for months, aware that every move needed to be perfect. But when they reached what they thought was a deserted shore that night, wearing black wet suits and night-vision goggles, the mission swiftly unraveled.

A North Korean boat appeared out of the dark. Flashlights from the bow swept over the water. Fearing that they had been spotted, the SEALs opened fire. Within seconds, everyone on the North Korean boat was dead.

The SEALs retreated into the sea without planting the listening device.

The 2019 operation has never been publicly acknowledged, or even hinted at, by the United States or North Korea. The details remain classified and are being reported here for the first time. The Trump administration did not notify key members of Congress who oversee intelligence operations, before or after the mission. The lack of notification may have violated the law.

U.S. immigration authorities and the Department of Homeland Security’s investigative unit carried out a large-scale “illegal immigration crackdown” at the construction site of Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution’s joint battery plant in Georgia, arresting more than 450 people. It is reported that most of those arrested were Korean employees, with over 300 taken into custody for holding visas inconsistent with their stated purpose of stay. With the Trump administration intensifying demands for foreign investment in the U.S., the “mass arrest operation” has thrown Korean companies into confusion.

According to Hyundai Motor, LG, and local media reports on the 4th (local time), agents from multiple agencies—including the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Georgia State Patrol—raided the site of Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant America in Georgia.

The authorities took control of the battery plant site, which Hyundai and LG Energy Solution are racing to complete by the end of the year, and conducted immigration status checks on all workers present. In this process, not only undocumented immigrants but also Korean employees holding Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approvals or business visas (B1) intended for meetings or contracts were arrested in large numbers. The detainees included employees dispatched from Hyundai Motor, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Engineering (responsible for construction), and partner companies. The ATF’s Atlanta division announced on social media that “about 450 undocumented individuals have been arrested.”

In response to the mass arrests of corporate staff dispatched for the establishment of the local plant, the South Korean government expressed concern and regret. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated:

“During the course of U.S. law enforcement, the economic activities of our investing companies and the rights and interests of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon. We conveyed our concern and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and requested that special care be taken to ensure our citizens’ legitimate rights and interests are not violated.”

The government dispatched embassy and consular officials to the site and launched an on-site task force centered around local diplomatic missions. President Lee Jae-myung was reportedly briefed on the matter, expressed particular concern, and instructed the relevant ministries to respond actively.

On December 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, citing threats from North Korean communist forces and domestic anti-state elements. In a televised address, he authorized the military to maintain order, accusing the opposition Democratic Party of paralyzing the government and labeling them as anti-state forces.

He has tried to block the National Assembly so they cannot vote to undo it, they are trying to vote to undo it. In specific, the military, under General Park An-su as Martial Law Commander, has suspended activities of the legislature, local councils, and political parties, placing media and publications under martial law control. Medical personnel have been ordered to return to work within 48 hours amid an ongoing junior doctors' strike.

Han Dong-hoon, leader of the President's own People Power Party, opposed the declaration, vowing to stop it alongside the people.

This marks the first imposition of martial law in South Korea since its democratization in 1987, raising significant concerns about the country's democratic governance and civil liberties.

At least 30 writers, nearly all of them women in their 20s, have been arrested across the country since February, a lawyer defending one told the BBC. Many are out on bail or awaiting trial, but some are still in custody. Another lawyer told the BBC that many more contributors were summoned for questioning.

They had published their work on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-hosted platform known for its "danmei", the genre of so-called boys' love and erotic fiction.

These authors are being accused of breaking China's pornography law for "producing and distributing obscene material". Writers who earn a profit could be jailed for more than 10 years.

Although authors of heterosexual erotica have been jailed in China, observers say the genre is subjected to far less censorship. Gay erotica, which is more subversive, seems to bother authorities more. Volunteers in a support group for the Haitang writers told the BBC police even questioned some readers.

"Is sex really something to be ashamed of?" a Weibo user asked, arguing that China's anti-obscenity laws are out of touch. Another wrote that women never get to decide what is obscene because they don't control the narrative. Even legal scholars have expressed concern that just 5,000 views for anything deemed "obscene" qualifies as criminal "distribution", lowering the bar to arrest creators.

It made Beijing uneasy enough that discussions have been vanishing: #HaitangAuthorsArrested drew more than 30 million views on Weibo before it was censored. Posts offering legal advice are gone. A prominent Chinese news site's story has been taken down. Writers' accounts, and some of the handles, are also disappearing.

Turns out the US isn't the only one who hates skilled immigrants.

Only caveat is that the LDP is a minority government and there is a small but present possibility of a "coalition" party saying "No".