Sue Mi Terry, 54, of New York, New York, was arrested yesterday and presented on criminal charges related to offenses under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
According to court documents, after leaving U.S. government service and for more than a decade, Terry worked as an agent of the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea, without registering as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, as required by law. As covertly directed by ROK government officials, Terry publicly advocated ROK policy positions, disclosed non-public U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers and enabled ROK officials to gain access to U.S. government officials. In exchange for these actions, ROK intelligence officers provided Terry with luxury goods, expensive dinners and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean affairs that Terry controlled.
From in or about 2001 to in or about 2011, Terry served in a series of positions in the U.S. government, including as an analyst on East Asian issues for the Central Intelligence Agency, as the Director for Korea, Japan and Oceanic Affairs for the White House National Security Council and as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. Since leaving government service in or about 2011, Terry has worked at academic institutions and think tanks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Terry has made media appearances, published articles and hosted conferences as a policy expert specializing in South Korea, North Korea and various regional issues impacting Asia. Terry has also testified before Congress on at least three occasions regarding the U.S. government’s policy toward Korea.
As she admitted in a voluntary interview with the FBI in 2023, Terry served as a valuable “source” of information for the ROK National Intelligence Service (ROK NIS), the primary intelligence agency for the ROK. For example, in or about June 2022, Terry participated in a private off-the-record group meeting with a U.S. Secretary level official regarding the U.S. Government’s policy toward North Korea. Immediately after the meeting, Terry’s primary ROK NIS point of contact picked up Terry in a car with ROK Embassy diplomatic plates. While in the car, Terry passed her handler detailed handwritten notes of her meeting written on letterhead from a think tank where she had recently worked. Her handler then photographed these notes while still sitting in the car with her.
Weeks later at her handler's request, Terry hosted a happy hour for Congressional staffers ostensibly on behalf of her think tank but funded by ROK NIS with her knowledge. Her handler attended this event posing as a diplomat while mingling with Congressional staff without disclosing his true identity.
The ROK government rewarded Terry for her services with luxury items such as handbags from Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton valued at $2,950 and $3,450 respectively; a Dolce & Gabbana coat worth $2,845; expensive meals including those at Michelin-starred restaurants; and approximately $37,000 deposited into an unrestricted "gift" account controlled by her think tank job.
Terry is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate FARA and one count of failure to register under FARA. If convicted she faces up to 10 years imprisonment subject to sentencing guidelines considered by federal district court judges.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S Attorney Damian Williams for Southern District New York; Executive Assistant Director Robert R Wells FBI National Security Branch announced this case investigation led by FBI Counterintelligence Division & New York Field Office assisted by Washington Field Office.
Prosecution handled by Assistant US Attorneys Kyle A Wirshba Alexander Li Sam Adelsberg Southern District NY aided Trial Attorney Christopher M Rigali National Security Division Counterintelligence Export Control Section
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation all defendants presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt court law.