Ex-CIA agent charged with spying for S.Korea for luxury handbags

Terry, who previously served on White House National SC, failed to register as a foreign agent with US Justice Dept

In a startling revelation, former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry has been indicted on charges of espionage, accused of clandestinely working as an agent for South Korea's intelligence service in exchange for luxury items and financial support.

Terry, who previously served on the White House National Security Council, allegedly failed to register as a foreign agent with the US Justice Department. The indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, details a decade-long period from 2013 onwards during which Terry purportedly collaborated with South Korean intelligence officers.

According to prosecutors, Terry received luxury handbags from brands like Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, and dined at Michelin-starred restaurants courtesy of her South Korean handlers. Additionally, she reportedly received over $37,000 in covert funding for a public policy program focused on Korean affairs that she managed.

The indictment outlines Terry's activities, which allegedly included advocating for South Korean policy positions in media appearances, sharing non-public information with intelligence officers, and arranging meetings between U.S. and South Korean officials.

Despite assertions from her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, that the allegations are baseless and distort Terry's record as an independent scholar and news analyst, prosecutors maintain that Terry failed to disclose her covert work while testifying before the House of Representatives multiple times between 2016 and 2022.

Terry, currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served in various U.S. government roles from 2001 to 2011, including as a CIA analyst and deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council.

The case underscores the sensitive nature of intelligence operations and raises questions about the oversight of former government officials' interactions with foreign entities.