A foreign policy specialist who used to work for the Central Intelligence Agency and the White House National Security Counsel has now been indicted on charges of working as an unregistered agent of South Korea’s government in exchange for luxuries and other gifts. Man, you can’t trust anyone these days, can you? I just want to know how in the world so many bad actors are managing to slip through the cracks in our system right now?
The specialist in question, Sue Mi Terry, advocated South Korean policy positions while she was working for the agencies named above, and also disclosed some nonpublic government information to intelligence officers with the South Korean government. That’s not all, Terry also helped facilitate access for South Korean officials and their United States counterparts, the indictment, which was read in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, revealed.
Is no one going to crack an inappropriate joke concerning this woman’s name? Her name is literally, “Sue Me Terry.” This is the kind of material that writes itself. I promise I’m not racist. It’s just hilarious.
MSN News says:
In return, the South Korean intelligence officers allegedly gave Terry luxury goods including Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags as well as a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more than $37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy program on Korean affairs that she ran.
Terry’s alleged work as an agent began in 2013, two years after she left U.S. government employment, and lasted a decade.
She is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, according to the think tank’s website, and an expert on East Asia and the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea.
“These 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,” Terry’s lawyer, Lee Wolosky, went on to say in a statement.
“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,” Wolosky continued.
Taking a look at Terry’s online biography reveals that she frequently makes appearances on television, radio, and podcasts, and has delivered testimony before congressional panels.
Born in Seoul and raised in Virginia, Terry was a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008, and director of Korean, Japan and Oceanic Affairs at the NSC from 2008 to 2009 under Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama. She now lives in New York, her biography says.
The indictment has charged Terry with failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and also with conspiring to violate that law.
It says she acknowledged in a voluntary June 2023 FBI interview that she was a “source” for South Korea’s intelligence service, “meaning that she provided valuable information.”
I think we need to overhaul our vetting process for hiring individuals for important roles involving our national security apparatus, don’t you?