The US Southern District of New York announced an indictment against Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and foreign policy expert, for working as an unregistered agent for the South Korean government.
According to the indictment, Terry received more than $37,000 in secret funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean affairs and also received expensive dinners and other luxury goods, including a $2,845 Dolce and Gabbana coat and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton bag.
She faces two counts of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
“Under the guidance of ROK government officials, Terry defended ROK political positions, including in published articles and during media appearances, disclosed nonpublic U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officials, and facilitated access by government officials of the ROK to U.S. government officials,” the indictment says, using an abbreviation for the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Terry is a naturalized American citizen who was born in Seoul. She received a PhD from Tufts University and is currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
His attorney, Lee Wolosky, told Reuters that “these allegations are unfounded and distort the work of an academic and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States.”
From 2001 to 2011, Terry held a series of government positions, including at the CIA and the White House National Security Council.
According to the indictment, Terry told the FBI in 2023 that she resigned from the CIA rather than be fired after the agency raised concerns about her contact with South Korean government intelligence officials.
The US alleges that a South Korean official first approached Terry in 2013 to act as an agent for the country.
She told colleagues that South Korea paid her to publish articles in American newspapers. She noted in the articles that she was a former CIA analyst, but did not reveal that a foreign government had paid her.
The FBI interviewed Terry in 2014. She told them she had been approached but did not provide further details, and told the FBI she would tell them if a South Korean official contacted her again.
Between 2016 and 2022, Terry testified before Congress, failing to disclose that he had received gifts and money from a foreign government, as required by Congress’ truth in testimony releases.
In 2016, she also worked to provide South Korean government officials with access to new members of the Trump administration, without disclosing that the South Korean government had instructed her to do so.
In 2018 and 2019, Terry hosted private meetings with US national security officials and received designer handbags as rewards. She facilitated similar meetings from 2020 to 2022 and received expensive meals and gifts as rewards.
The government also alleges that in 2022, Terry provided South Korea with notes from a private group meeting with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
In 2023, during an interview with the FBI, Terry also acknowledged that he was a source for South Korean intelligence agencies.
The Council on Foreign Relations, the South Korean government and the National Security Council were not immediately available for comment.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
