A prominent North Korea expert and former CIA analyst has been indicted by a New York grand jury on charges of secretly working for the South Korean government in exchange for designer goods, meals at Michelin-starred restaurants and $37,000 to a fund she controlled.
Sue Mi Terry, a former member of the US National Security Council, first acted as a foreign agent in June 2013, when she began meeting with an unidentified “handler” on “multiple occasions”, according to the indictment, which was unsealed on Tuesday (16).
“At the direction of Republic of Korea government officials, Terry advocated Republic of Korea policy positions, including in published articles and during media appearances, disclosed nonpublic U.S. government information to foreign intelligence officials, and facilitated access by South Korean government officials to U.S. government officials,” the indictment alleges.
In exchange, South Korean authorities allegedly offered the former analyst about $37,000, claiming they could conceal the origin of the funds by depositing them into a designated “gift” account at the think tank where she worked, according to the indictment.
Terry also allegedly received lavish goods — including a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat and dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants — and was paid to write op-eds advocating South Korean political positions in American and Korean media outlets.
Iva Zorić, a spokeswoman for the Council on Foreign Relations think tank that hired Terry, said she was placed on administrative leave immediately after learning of the accusation.
“We take these allegations very seriously,” Zorić said. to CNN .
The indictment alleges that Terry acted as a “valuable source” of information for the South Korean government.
In one instance, Terry participated in an off-the-record briefing on North Korea policy with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June 2022. Once the meeting was over, she passed her handler “detailed handwritten notes” outlining the contents of the closed-door briefing, the indictment alleges.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said: “South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are in close communication regarding the indictment related to the Foreign Agents Registration Act.”
Seoul’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. from CNN .
U.S. law requires American citizens to register as foreign agents if they engage in certain behavior for or on behalf of a foreign government. The indictment alleges that Terry acted as a foreign agent but failed to register as required, which is a crime.
A CNN is attempting to locate information from Terry’s attorney, which was not readily available in court records.
Terry, a Seoul native and naturalized U.S. citizen, began working for the U.S. government in 2001. She served as a senior analyst on East Asian affairs for the CIA before preemptively resigning in 2008 due to a conflict of interest related to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, as recorded in a June 2023 FBI interview. She later served as director for Japan, Korea, and Oceanic Affairs on the National Security Council under the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
In June 2013, five years after leaving the CIA, Terry began working as a foreign diplomat under the UN, reporting to some of the highest-ranking officials serving in South Korea and further deepening his ties with them.
No stranger to the media, Terry has appeared in numerous media outlets, including guest appearances on CNN . She has written articles for American and South Korean media outlets. Terry has previously told Congress under oath that she did not act as a foreign agent when she testified before a House hearing on North Korea’s escalating nuclear activity.
South Korea is a key U.S. ally in the Asia-Pacific, though Terry’s indictment is not the first instance of alleged collusion to test the two countries’ friendship. Internal Pentagon documents leaked last year described in remarkable detail private conversations between two senior South Korean national security officials that the U.S. allegedly wiretapped.
Other US presidents and presidential candidates have been shot
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
