![Brig. Gen. Neil H. Tolley, a dedicated and capable leader of the U.S. Special Forces in South Korea, was removed after a story appeared in the media claiming American Special Forces were already parachuting into North Korea on reconnaissance missions. The Pentagon denied any connection between the publication of the Times story and his removal. According to the article: Pentagon officials have repeatedly said that there are no American military personnel on the ground in North Korea, and that the bulk of clandestine espionage in such hard-to-penetrate countries is generally carried out by an array of intelligence agencies. The Diplomat, a Japan-based foreign affairs magazine, quoted General Tolley as telling a defense industry conference in Tampa, Fla., that American and South Korean soldiers had been dropped behind North Korean lines to spy on the country’s vast network of underground military facilities. The entire tunnel infrastructure is hidden from our satellites,” he was quoted as saying. “So we send [Republic of Korea] soldiers and U.S. soldiers to the North to do special reconnaissance.” The United States Defense Department and the American military in South Korea denied the report. In a statement, they said it had “taken great liberal license with his comments and taken him completely out of context.” “Quotes have been made up and attributed to him,” their statement said. In a later ‘clarification statement,’ however, General Tolley said, “After further review of the reporting, I feel I was accurately quoted” (emphasis added). “I should have been clearer,” he said, adding that he had been trying to “provide some context for potential technical solutions.”](https://groundreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/special-forces_00373495.jpg)
Brig. Gen. Neil H. Tolley, a dedicated and capable leader of the U.S. Special Forces in South Korea, was removed not too long ago after a story appeared in the media claiming American Special Forces were already parachuting into North Korea on reconnaissance missions. The Pentagon denied any connection between the publication of the Times story and his removal. According to the article:
“Pentagon officials have repeatedly said that there are no American military personnel on the ground in North Korea, and that the bulk of clandestine espionage in such hard-to-penetrate countries is generally carried out by an array of intelligence agencies.”
The Diplomat, a Japan-based foreign affairs magazine, quoted General Tolley as telling a defense industry conference in Tampa, Fla., that “American and South Korean soldiers had been dropped behind North Korean lines to spy on the country’s vast network of underground military facilities.
The entire tunnel infrastructure is hidden from our satellites,” he was quoted as saying. “So we send [Republic of Korea] soldiers and U.S. soldiers to the North to do special reconnaissance.” The United States Defense Department and the American military in South Korea denied the report. In a statement, they said it had “taken great liberal license with his comments and taken him completely out of context.”
“Quotes have been made up and attributed to him,” their statement said. In a later ‘clarification statement,’ however, General Tolley said, “After further review of the reporting, I feel I was accurately quoted” (emphasis added).
“I should have been clearer,” he said, adding that he had been trying to “provide some context for potential technical solutions.”