Advertisement
Ex-US intelligence official accused of spying for South Korea in return for luxury bribes
- Sue Mi Terry’s lawyer says the allegations are unfounded and distort the work of an analyst known for her years of service to the US
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
A foreign policy specialist who once worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council (NSC) has been indicted on US charges she worked as an unregistered agent of South Korea’s government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.
Sue Mi Terry advocated South Korean policy positions, disclosed nonpublic US government information to South Korean intelligence officers, and facilitated access for South Korean government officials to their counterparts in the United States, according to an indictment made public on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.
In return, the South Korean intelligence officers allegedly provided Terry with Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred sushi restaurants, and more than US$37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy programme on Korean affairs that she ran.
Advertisement
The indictment contains surveillance camera images of Terry awaiting or carrying a gift bag while the officers pay at Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton stores in Washington in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
She also admitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she served as a source of information for South Korean intelligence, including by passing handwritten notes from an off-the-record June 2022 meeting that she took part in with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about US government policy toward North Korea, the indictment says.
Terry’s alleged work as an agent began in 2013, two years after she left US government employment, and lasted a decade even after FBI agents warned her in 2014 that South Korean intelligence might try to offer to covertly pay for events.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x