Ex-CIA analyst accused of working for South Korea for luxury handbags
Sue Mi Terry disclosed US govt information to South Korean intelligence, indictment says
NEW YORK: US prosecutors have indicted a former CIA analyst and White House official on charges she worked as an agent of the South Korean government in exchange for designer handbags, high-priced dinners and other luxury goods.
Sue Mi Terry failed to register as a foreign agent and disclosed US government information to South Korean intelligence, according to the 31-page indictment filed Monday at a federal court in New York.
“At the direction of ROK Government officials, Terry advocated ROK policy positions ... disclosed nonpublic US Government information to ROK intelligence officers, and facilitated access for ROK Government officials to US Government officials,” according to the indictment, which referred to South Korea by its official acronym.
In return for her services, Terry’s South Korean handlers gifted her a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag, and a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, as well as other goods, according to the indictment.
She was also taken to “multiple” Michelin-starred restaurants and provided with $37,000 in covert payments to a think tank where she worked.
The indictment includes security camera images showing Terry meeting her South Korean handlers in Washington stores to be gifted luxury handbags.
Besides the CIA, Terry, who is a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, also worked on the White House National Security Council.
Terry, who was employed by the US government from 2001 to around 2011, allegedly began her work for South Korea in 2013 and continued it for a decade despite being warned in 2014 by FBI agents that South Korean intelligence might try to approach her.
Denial
Her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, denied the allegations.
“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,” Wolosky said in a statement quoted by US media.
According to the indictment, Terry is a naturalized US citizen who was born in South Korea’s capital of Seoul and raised in Virginia and Hawaii.
He said she had not held a security clearance for more than a decade, adding: “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.”
Prosecutors say Terry said she was not an “active registrant” on disclosure forms filed with the House of Representatives, where she testified at least three times between 2016 and 2022, but also never disclosed her covert work with South Korea, preventing Congress from having “the opportunity to fairly evaluate Terry’s testimony in light of her longstanding efforts” for the government.