A previous US Central Intelligence Agency scientist is accused of spying for the South Korean government in exchange for money, expensive products, sacks, and expensive lunches by a New York grand jury.
Sue Mi Terry, a former top official for the White House National Security Council, is charged with two counts of attempting to file as a foreign agent and conspiring to break the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
According to court documents made public on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, Ms. Terry allegedly worked as an adviser for the South Korean government for more than ten years. However, she did not register as a foreign agent with American authorities.
The Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank where Ms Terry works as a senior colleague on Asia, has placed her on paid left, a spokesperson told US stores. Additionally, her memoir has been removed from the organization’s website.
Ms Terry, 54, denies the claims and her counsel, Lee Wolosky, told the BBC the claims against her were “unfounded”.
According to Mr. Wolosky, the allegations “distort the function of a professor and information analyst known for her freedom and years of service to the United States.” She was harshly critical of the South Korean government when it was accused of acting on its behalf.
Ms. Terry, who was born in South Korea, moved to the US at the age of 12 based on information from her past job at Columbia University.
In 2001, she earned her degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, a popular foreign relations class in Massachusetts. She is well-known for giving lectures in both Korean and English.
Ms Terry, 54, finally went on to work as a senior scientist for the CIA from 2001 to 2008, when holding a variety of content in the federal government, including as Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council during the George W Bush and Barack Obama services.
According to the prosecution, Ms. Terry started working for the South Korean government in 2013, about five times after she left the CIA and the National Security Council.
In the 31-page prosecution, authorities say Ms Terry admitted to FBI agents in a deliberate meeting in 2023 that she was a” resource” for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
The indictment alleges that the South Korean government gifted Ms Terry a$ 2, 845 ( £2, 100 ) Dolce &, Gabbana coat, a$ 3, 450 Louis Vuitton handbag and meals at upscale restaurants.
According to authorities, the government also gave her$ 37, 000 and devised a strategy to conceal the source of the funds, eventually putting them in a product account at the consider cylinder where she worked.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez was found guilty of aiding international institutions in trade for luxury goods, including metal plates and a Mercedes vehicle, in a day’s press conference.