Former CIA analyst, noted East Asia specialist indicted for criminal acts of being an agent of South Korea. Its intelligence officials allegedly rewarded the woman with luxurious gifts and made payments to a think-tank that were not disclosed.
According to a Indictment filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, Sue Mi Terry is accused of failing to register as an agent of a foreign country and of conspiring to violate Foreign Agents Registration Act. CFR spokeswoman Iva Zoric confirmed that Terry, who is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for Korea Studies, was placed on an unpaid administrative suspension. The think tank also said it would cooperate in any investigation and take the accusations “very seriously.”
Lee Wolosky has indicated that Terry will contest the allegations. Wolosky stated that the allegations were unfounded, and misrepresented the work done by a journalist and scholar known for years of dedication to the United States. “Dr. Terry is a long-time Korean Peninsula expert who has never held a clearance. Her views have been the same for many years. She was in fact a fierce critic of South Korea’s government at times when this accusation claims she was acting for it. “Once the truth is revealed, it will become clear that the South Korean government committed a grave error.”
According to the indictment, Terry, 54 years old, admitted in a June 2023 voluntary interview that she had been a source for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) in an FBI agent. In addition, the indictment alleges Terry had admitted to having “resigned as a substitute for termination” after the CIA was concerned about her problematic contact with Korean intelligence agents.
During an interview in 2014 with the FBI she was asked to describe her contacts with South Korean officials of intelligence and told that they might try again to contact, perhaps by offering to pay secretly for conferences.
According to the indictment, “Terry replied that she would be happy to contact the FBI if such a scenario arose.”
Indictment: For years, prosecutors claim, Terry dined at high-end restaurants with NIS handlers, who bought her Louis Vuitton handbags, Bottega Veneta bags, and a Dolce & Gabbana jacket. Terry gave intelligence officials access and information about congressional staffers, high-ranking U.S. officials and government officials.
Terry worked as a national intelligence officer and director of Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council before joining the Council on Foreign Relations. Terry was also a senior fellow for Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and worked later as the director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center. Terry is a contributor of op-eds on The Washington Post website. She’s also the wife Post Columnist Max Boot.
According to the Indictment, Terry is a U.S. naturalized citizen born in Seoul who was raised in Virginia and Hawaii.
The prosecution said that she had caused the Wilson Center, a South Korean think-tank whose name appears in the indictment as the South Korean Embassy but was actually funded by NIS to receive $37,000 that they “nominally” issued by them. According to the indictment, Terry did not disclose to the think-tank the “true” source of funding.
According to the Wilson Center, Terry was hired by the think-tank “in October of 2021” as the director of its Korea Program. He then became director of their Asia Program from July of 2023 until the end of 2023. “The Wilson Center has not been a subject of this investigation, and it has fully cooperated with the law enforcement authorities.”
Zoric, a spokesperson for the Council on Foreign Relations, stated that the activities alleged predate Terry’s tenure with the think-tank.
Center for Strategic and International Studies refused to comment citing “an on-going federal criminal case.”
According to the indictment, Terry was invited by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department officials for a private, one-hour meeting in June 2022. The indictment states that her NIS handler drove Terry to the event and took pictures of the handwritten notes she left behind.
According to the indictment, Terry is also accused of inviting staffers from Congress to a D.C. happy hour, where “South Korean officials were able to evaluate and possibly recruit Congressional Staff that they would otherwise not be able to reach.” An intelligence officer paid the bill at the end of this event. According to the indictment, the South Korean Embassy “nominally hosted” the happy hour, but it was funded by NIS.
According to an indictment filed by the FBI, Terry later told them that allowing her handler to have access to their staffers would be like “letting the wolf into the house.”
Prosecutors allege that Terry also received a phone call in March 2023 from an official of the Korean Foreign Ministry. Terry sent the official a text message after the phone call saying, “So in order to write an opinion piece, I will need this information”, and asking questions regarding Korea-Japan relationships.
According to the indictment, the official answered the questions on the following day. The Post published an opinion article that afternoon. It did not reveal the involvement of Korean officials. Boot co-authored the article.
According to the charges, “the article was generally consistent” with the replies sent by the Korean officials. Terry wrote to the official in text, “Hope You Liked the Article.” Later, he responded with: “Thanks so much for Your Zeal and Efforts!” Of course we do. “Actually, the Ambassador and National Security Advisor are so pleased with your article.”
Boot is not charged with any crime. He didn’t respond to an inquiry for comment.
The Washington Post, which is dedicated to independent journalism, is currently reviewing the charges. “We have no further comments,” stated Kathy Baird a Post spokesperson.
A request for comment was not responded to immediately by the South Korean Embassy at Washington.
