NEW YORK (AFP) – United States (US) prosecutors have indicted a former CIA analyst and White House official on charges she worked as an agent of the South Korean government in exchange for designer handbags, high-priced dinners and other luxury goods.
Sue Mi Terry failed to register as a foreign agent and disclosed US government information to South Korean intelligence, according to the 31-page indictment filed on Monday at a federal court in New York.
“At the direction of South Korean Government officials, Terry advocated South Korean policy positions… disclosed non-public US Government information to South Korean intelligence officers, and facilitated access for South Korean Government officials to US Government officials,” according to the indictment.
In return for her services, Terry’s South Korean handlers gifted her a USD3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, a USD2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag, and a USD2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, as well as other goods, according to the indictment.
She was also taken to “multiple” Michelin-starred restaurants and provided with USD37,000 in covert payments to a think tank where she worked. The indictment includes security camera images showing Terry meeting her South Korean handlers in Washington stores to be gifted luxury handbags.
Besides the CIA, Terry, who is a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, also worked on the White House National Security Council.
Terry, who was employed by the US government from 2001 to around 2011, allegedly began her work for South Korea in 2013 and continued it for a decade despite being warned in 2014 by FBI agents that South Korean intelligence might try to approach her.
Her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, denied the allegations.
“These allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the US,” Wolosky said in a statement quoted by US media.
