A Korean-American foreign policy specialist, who previously worked for the CIA and the White House National Security Council (NSC), has been indicted on U.S. charges for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the South Korean government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.
According to Reuters and other media outlets, the indictment made public on July 16 in a Manhattan federal court, alleges that Sue Mi Terry advocated for South Korean policy positions, disclosed nonpublic U.S. government information to South Korean intelligence officers, and facilitated access for South Korean government officials to their U.S. counterparts.
The court document showed that the South Korean intelligence officers allegedly provided Terry with Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more than $37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy program on Korean affairs that she ran.
According to the document, Terry’s alleged work as an agent began in 2013, two years after she left U.S. government employment, and lasted a decade.
According to Reuters, her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, said in a statement: “These allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States.”
“In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf. Once the facts are made clear it will be evident the government made a significant mistake,” he added.
The indictment charges Terry with failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and conspiring to violate that law, according to media reports.
It says she acknowledged in a voluntary June 2023 FBI interview that she was a “source” for South Korea’s intelligence service, “meaning that she provided valuable information.”
Terry is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on East Asia and the Korean Peninsula. It was reported that the think tank put Terry on unpaid administrative leave and would cooperate with any investigation.
She was born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Virginia. She was a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008, and director of Korean, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the NSC from 2008 to 2009.
In 2017 she became a senior fellow for the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2021, she became director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, succeeding Jean H. Lee.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
