Ex-CIA official accused of being undisclosed agent for South Korean intelligence

A former senior official at the National Security Council and ex-CIA employee has been accused by the Justice Department of acting as a secret agent for South Korea’s intelligence service. The individual named Sue Mi Terry is alleged to have received luxury items and lavish meals in exchange for promoting South Korean government stances in the media, divulging confidential information to intelligence officers, and setting up meetings between American and South Korean officials. This information is based on an indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan.

According to the indictment, Terry confessed to the FBI that she provided intelligence to South Korea, including passing handwritten notes from an off-the-record meeting in June 2022 with Secretary of State Antony Blinken concerning South Korean policy. Prosecutors further claim that South Korean intelligence officers made hidden payments of over $37,000 to Terry for a public policy initiative she managed, concentrated on Korean affairs.

At present, it is unclear whether Terry has retained legal representation. Terry’s tenure in the government spanned from 2001 to 2011. Initially, she served as a CIA analyst and then as the deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council before transitioning to various think tanks, including the Council on Foreign Relations.

Legal authorities assert that Terry failed to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent. Although she affirmed on House of Representatives disclosure forms that she was not an “active registrant,” she did not disclose her hidden collaboration with South Korea. This lack of transparency prevented Congress from adequately evaluating Terry’s statements given her prolonged involvement with South Korean interests.