A former CIA analyst has been accused of serving as a secret agent for South Korea’s intelligence service in exchange for luxury handbags and sushi dinners.
Sue Mi Terry, who also previously served on the White House National Security Council, did not register as a foreign agent with the US Department of Justice, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
South Korean Intelligence agents allegedly gave her Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton bags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, and dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants.
Prosecutors say they also provided more than $37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy program on Korean affairs that she ran.
Terry allegedly worked as an agent for a decade starting in 2013, two years after he left his U.S. government job.
She defended South Korea’s political positions during media appearances, shared non-public information with intelligence officials and facilitated meetings between U.S. and South Korean government officials, according to the indictment.
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He also admitted to the FBI that he served as a source of information for South Korean intelligence, even passing along handwritten notes from a June 2022 off-the-record meeting involving the U.S. Secretary of State. Antonio Blinkenthe accusation says.
Terry’s attorney, Lee Wolosky, said in a statement that “the allegations are baseless and distort the work of an academic and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States.”
He said she had not held a security clearance for more than a decade, adding: “In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during the times this indictment alleges she was acting on its behalf.
“Once the facts become clear it will be clear that the government made a significant mistake.”
Terry, now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served in the U.S. government from 2001 to 2011, first as a CIA analyst and then as deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council.
Prosecutors say Terry said she was not an “active registered applicant” on disclosure forms filed with the House of Representatives, where she testified at least three times between 2016 and 2022, but also never disclosed her undercover work with South Korea. which prevented Congress from having “the opportunity to fairly evaluate Terry’s testimony in light of his long-standing efforts” for the government.
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