An ex-CIA analyst has been charged with acting as an undercover agent for South Korea’s intelligence service in exchange for high-end handbags and exquisite sushi meals.
Sue Mi Terry, who previously served on the White House National Security Council, allegedly failed to register as a foreign representative with the US Justice Department, as per an indictment unveiled in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
South Korean intelligence agents purportedly gifted her items like Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, and dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants.
Prosecutors claim that they also provided more than $37,000 in undisclosed funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean matters that she oversaw.
Terry is accused of acting as an agent for a span of ten years from 2013, following her departure from US government service two years prior.
She promoted South Korean policy stances in media appearances, exchanged confidential data with intelligence officers, and facilitated interactions between US and South Korean governmental representatives, according to the indictment.
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She also acknowledged to the FBI that she acted as an information source for South Korean intelligence, including passing handwritten notes from a confidential June 2022 meeting that involved US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the indictment alleges.
Terry’s attorney, Lee Wolosky, stated that the “accusations are baseless and misrepresent the activities of a respected scholar and news analyst recognized for her impartiality and years of dedication to the United States”.
He mentioned that she hadn’t possessed security clearance for over ten years, adding: “In reality, she strongly criticized the South Korean government during periods indicated in this indictment when it suggests that she was acting in its favor.
“Once the facts are clarified, it will become apparent that the government has made a substantial error.”
Terry, currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served in the US government from 2001 to 2011, initially as a CIA analyst and subsequently as the deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council.
Prosecutors state that Terry indicated she was not actively listed on disclosure forms submitted to the House of Representatives, where she testified at least three times between 2016 and 2022, and never disclosed her hidden activities for South Korea, thereby preventing Congress from fairly assessing Terry’s testimony in light of her prolonged commitments to the government.
