Sue Mi Terry, who also formerly worked for the CIA, allegedly provided government information to Seoul in exchange for handbags and dinners.
A foreign policy specialist Sue Mi Terry, worked for the CIA and the White House National Security Council (NSC) has been charged with being an unregistered agent of South Korea’s government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.
According to an indictment made public on Tuesday in a Manhattan federal court, Sue Mi Terry promoted access for South Korean government officials to their US counterparts, revealed nonpublic US government information to South Korean intelligence officials, and supported South Korean policy positions.
Terry allegedly received Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton purses, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more than $37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy program on Korean issues that she oversaw in return.
Terry’s claimed job as an agent started in 2013, two years following her departure from US federal employment, and lasted ten years.
Sue Mi Terry is currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a specialist on east Asia and the Korean Peninsula, especially North Korea, according to the think tank’s website.
Terry did not reply right away to a request for comment, but her attorney, 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 when this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf. Once the facts are known, it will be clear that the administration committed a major error,” he said.
Sue Mi Terry is on unpaid administrative leave, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, which will assist in any investigation, a spokesman said.
South Korea is not a defendant. Its Washington embassy did not answer calls for comments right away. Similar inquiries were not immediately addressed by US Attorney Damian Williams’ Manhattan office.
Terry’s internet profile claims that she often appears on podcasts, TV, and radio, as well as having testified several times before legislative hearings.
Terry, a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008, was born in Seoul and raised in Virginia. Under Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama, Terry oversaw Korean, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the NSC.
Her biography claims she now resides in New York.