Sue Mi Terry, a former analyst for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has been indicted by a New York grand jury for allegedly working as a spy for the South Korean government in exchange for luxury goods, handbags and fancy meals.
According to the BBCThe indictment includes charges of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Court documents unsealed in the Southern District of New York state that Terry, who is also a leading expert on North Korea, allegedly served as an agent of the South Korean government for more than a decade without registering as a foreign agent with U.S. officials.
Terry, 54, worked as a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008 before serving in a variety of federal government positions, including Director for Korea, Japan and Ocean Affairs on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
The 31-page indictment alleges that Terry admitted to FBI agents in a voluntary interview in 2023 that he was a “source” for South Korea's National Intelligence Service.
She also claims that the South Korean government gave Terry a luxury brand coat worth $2,845, a $3,450 handbag and meals at luxury restaurants.
Officials say the government also gave her $37,000 and devised a scheme to conceal the source of the funds, placing them in an endowment fund at the think tank where she worked.
Terry denies the charges and his attorney, Lee Wolosky, told the BBC The accusations against her were “baseless.”
The charges “distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and her years of service to the United States,” Wolosky said.
“In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times when, according to this indictment, she was acting on its behalf.”
