Sue Mi Terry, who once served as a senior analyst for the CIA and a member of the National Security Council (NSC), has been indicted on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for South Korea. The indictment, made public in a Manhattan federal court, alleges that Terry secretly advanced South Korean interests and shared confidential U.S. information with South Korean intelligence officials.
In exchange for her efforts, Terry allegedly received luxury gifts, including high-end handbags, a designer coat, and dining experiences at top-tier restaurants. Additionally, she reportedly accepted more than $37,000 in covert funding to support a public policy program she directed on Korean affairs. Her alleged covert activities began in 2013, two years after her tenure in the U.S. government ended, and lasted for ten years.
Terry is currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she is known for her expertise on East Asia and North Korea. Her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, has refuted the allegations, stating, “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 this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan and South Korea’s embassy in Washington have yet to respond to the indictment. Born in Seoul and raised in Virginia, Terry served as a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008 and directed Korean, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the NSC from 2008 to 2009 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
The indictment charges Terry with failing to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiring to violate this law. It also states that during a voluntary FBI interview in June 2023, Terry admitted to providing valuable information to South Korea’s intelligence service.
This case brings attention to the legal requirements for former government officials engaging in international activities and highlights the stringent regulations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act aimed at ensuring transparency in foreign lobbying efforts within the United States.
