Sue Mi Terry, a well-known North Korea specialist who previously worked at the CIA and the White House National Security Council, has been indicted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan on charges of working as an unregistered foreign agent for the South Korean government for more than a decade.
The 31-page indictment released Tuesday (local time) by a Manhattan federal court stated that Terry was advocating for South Korea’s policy positions and disclosing nonpublic U.S. government information to South Korean intelligence officers since 2013, five years after she left the CIA.
In return, the indictment document said she received luxury goods, including a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program on Korea affairs that she controlled.
“Despite engaging in extensive activities for and at the direction of ROK Government officials and notwithstanding her knowledge of the foreign-agent registration requirement, Terry never registered as a foreign agent with the Attorney General as required by law,” the indictment reads.
The federal prosecutors’ document went on to point out the two counts that she was charged with: failing to legally register as a foreign agent as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiring to violate the act.
Regarding the charges, Lee Wolosky, Terry’s lawyer, said that the allegations are unfounded and she will fight the charges.
“The allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the U.S. Dr. Terry has not held a security clearance for over a decade, and her views on matters relating to the Korean 커뮤니티 Peninsula have been consistent over many years. 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 lawyer said in a statement.
Leave a Reply