A New York grand jury has indicted a former US Central Intelligence Agency analyst on charges of acting as a spy for the South Korean government in exchange for luxury goods, bags and fancy meals.
Sue Mi Terry, who previously worked as a senior official for the White House National Security Council, faces two counts of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Federal officials say Ms Terry – a prominent US expert on North Korea – acted as an agent for the South Korean government for over a decade, but she did not register as a foreign agent with American officials, according to court documents made public on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York.
The Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank where Ms Terry works as a senior fellow on Asia, has placed her on unpaid leave, a spokesperson told US outlets. The organisation has also removed her biography from its website.
Ms Terry, 54, denies the charges and her attorney, Lee Wolosky, told the BBC the allegations against her were “unfounded”.
The charges “distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States”, Mr Wolosky said. “In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf.”
Born in South Korea, Ms Terry moved to the US at age 12, according to her previous employer at Columbia University.
In 2001, she earned her doctorate from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, a prominent international relations school in Massachusetts. She is known to lecture in English and Korean.
Ms Terry, 54, then went on to work as a senior analyst for the CIA from 2001 to 2008, before holding a variety of posts in the federal government, including as Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council during the George W Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Prosecutors say Ms Terry’s work as an agent for the South Korean government began in 2013, about five years, after she stopped working for the CIA and the National Security Council.
In the 31-page indictment, officials say Ms Terry admitted to FBI agents in a voluntary interview in 2023 that she was a “source” for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
The indictment alleges that the South Korean government gifted Ms Terry a $2,845 (£2,100) Dolce & Gabbana coat, a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag and meals at upscale restaurants.
Officials say the government also gave her $37,000 and came up with a plan to hide the source of the funds, ultimately placing them in a gift fund at the think tank where she worked.
Ms Terry’s indictment comes just a day after Democratic Senator Robert Menendez was convicted of helping foreign governments in exchange for luxury items including gold bars and a Mercedes car.