Former CIA Analyst Charged with Acting as Secret Agent for South Korea

 Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and senior official at the National Security Council, has been charged with serving as a secret agent for South Korea‘s intelligence service, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that Terry received luxury goods, expensive dinners, and monetary compensation from South Korean intelligence officers in exchange for advocating South Korean government positions during media appearances. Additionally, she is accused of sharing nonpublic information with South Korean intelligence officers and facilitating their access to U.S. government officials.

One of the significant allegations outlined in the indictment involves Terry passing handwritten notes from a confidential June 2022 meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding U.S. government policy towards North Korea to South Korean intelligence officers.

Prosecutors claim that South Korean intelligence covertly paid Terry over $37,000 for a public policy program focused on Korean affairs that she controlled. The conduct described in the indictment allegedly took place after Terry left the U.S. government and began working at various think tanks, where she became a prominent voice on foreign affairs.

Responding to the charges, Lee Wolosky, Terry's lawyer, vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as unfounded and a distortion of her work as a scholar and news analyst known for her independence. Wolosky emphasized that Terry had not held a security clearance for more than a decade and has consistently maintained her views, even criticizing the South Korean government during periods when the indictment claims she was acting on its behalf.

Wolosky asserted, "Once the facts are made clear it will be evident the government made a significant mistake."

According to prosecutors, Terry never registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent, nor did she disclose her covert work with South Korea on disclosure forms filed with the House of Representatives, where she testified multiple times between 2016 and 2022.

Terry's career spanned from 2001 to 2011, including roles as a CIA analyst and later as the deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. She subsequently worked at prominent think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations.

The case has drawn attention from both U.S. and South Korean intelligence authorities, with the South Korean National Intelligence Service confirming close communication with their U.S. counterparts regarding the matter. The South Korean Foreign Ministry declined to comment, citing ongoing judicial proceedings in a foreign country.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the case of Sue Mi Terry underscores the complexities of international espionage allegations and their potential impact on diplomatic relations between countries.