Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and prominent North Korea expert, has been indicted by a New York grand jury on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for South Korea.
According to the indictment, Sue Mi Terry allegedly worked for the South Korean government from 2013 onwards, failing to register as required by U.S. law. Prosecutors claim she received luxury goods and financial benefits in exchange for her services, which included advocating for South Korean policy positions and sharing sensitive information.
“At the direction of ROK (Republic of Korea) government officials, Terry advocated ROK policy positions, including in published articles and during media appearances, disclosed nonpublic US government information to ROK intelligence officers, and facilitated access for ROK government officials to US government officials,” the indictment states.
The allegations are particularly striking given Terry’s background. Born in South Korea and naturalized as a U.S. citizen, she held high-profile positions in the U.S. government, including roles at the CIA and the National Security Council under both the Bush and Obama administrations.
Terry’s attorney, Lee Wolosky, strongly denies the charges, stating,
“Once the facts are made clear it will be evident the (US) government made a significant mistake.” He also emphasized that Terry had been “a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf.”
The Council on Foreign Relations, where Sue Mi Terry was employed as a senior fellow, has placed her on administrative leave. Iva Zorić, a spokesperson for the think tank, told CNN, “We take these allegations very seriously.”
This case comes at a sensitive time for U.S.-South Korea relations, following last year’s leak of Pentagon documents that allegedly detailed U.S. surveillance of senior South Korean officials.
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