Sue Mi Terry faces one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and one count of failure to register under the FARA, which is aimed at preventing covert foreign influence by foreign principles.
For more than a decade, Ms. Terry, at the direction of the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK), “advocated ROK [Republic of Korea] policy positions, including in published articles and during media appearances, disclosed nonpublic U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers, and facilitated access for ROK government officials to U.S. government officials,” the indictment states, using the official name for South Korea.
In return, intelligence officers with South Korea’s government gave Ms. Terry “luxury goods,” including a $2,845 Dolce and Gabbana coat and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, among other things, according to the indictment.
They also provided her with “high-priced dinners” at Michelin-star restaurants along with more than $37,000 in “covert funding for a public program focusing on Korean affairs” that she controlled, the indictment states.
Ms. Terry is a foreign policy specialist who once worked on the White House National Security Council overseeing “Korean policy,” according to the indictment.
‘Valuable Source’ for South Korea
Ms. Terry admitted during a voluntary June 2023 interview with the FBI that she was a “valuable source” of information for South Korea’s intelligence service.In June 2022, she attended an “off-the-record” meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about U.S. government policy toward North Korea, the indictment states. Immediately after the meeting, she met a “point of contact,” or “handler” from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, and passed him detailed handwritten notes about the meeting, according to the indictment.
Despite allegedly engaging in extensive activities for and at the direction of the South Korean government, Ms. Terry never registered as a foreign agent with the attorney general, as required under U.S. law.
On at least three occasions between 2016 and 2022, while testifying to the House of Representatives regarding the U.S. government’s Korean policy, Ms. Terry stated on disclosure forms that she was not an “active registrant,” according to the indictment.
However, Ms. Terry was acting as an agent of the ROK without having registered, the indictment states.
Allegations ‘Unfounded’
In a statement to media outlets, Ms. Terry’s lawyer, Lee Wolosky, said the 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.”Mr. Wolosky said his client has not held a security clearance for more than a decade and that her views have been consistent.
“In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf. Once the facts are made clear it will be evident the government made a significant mistake,” he said.
Ms. Terry is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Seoul and raised in Virginia and Hawaii.
From 2009 to 2010, she served as the deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council.
In that role, Ms. Terry examined “North Korean leadership succession plans, Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear strategy, and the potential for instability in North Korea,” according to her official biography.
The Epoch Times contacted a spokesperson for the Council on Foreign Relations for comment but did not hear back by publication time.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the annual NATO summit in Washington, the two leaders welcomed the signing of guidelines for maintaining an effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture on the Korean peninsula, the first time the United States and South Korea have signed such guidelines.
