Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, have announced an Indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Terry was arrested on July 16, 2024, in New York and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, “Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA and White House employee, allegedly evaded foreign agent registration laws to provide South Korean intelligence officers with access, information, and advocacy. Terry used her positions to benefit the South Korean government in exchange for luxury items, expensive meals, and funding for her public policy program. These charges serve as a warning to those in public policy roles considering the sale of their expertise to foreign governments to comply with the law.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director Christie M. Curtis remarked, “Compromising national security by aiding foreign agents threatens all Americans. Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA and White House official, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent for South Korea despite numerous warnings. Over the past decade, she allegedly used her think tank roles to provide sensitive U.S. information to South Korean intelligence. Her reported actions posed significant national security risks. The FBI’s pursuit and arrest of those jeopardizing national security by working with foreign intelligence are resolute.”
According to the Indictment, after leaving U.S. government service, Terry secretly acted as an agent of the South Korean government without registering. She publicly promoted South Korean policy, disclosed non-public U.S. government information, and facilitated access to U.S. officials for South Korean officials. In exchange, she received luxury goods, expensive dinners, and over $37,000 for a Korean affairs public policy program she controlled.
From 2001 to 2011, Terry held various U.S. government positions, including CIA analyst on East Asian issues, Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs for the White House National Security Council, and Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. Post-2011, she worked at academic institutions and think tanks, making media appearances, publishing articles, hosting conferences, and providing Congressional testimony on Korean policy.
Since leaving government service, Terry became a key source for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (ROK NIS). For example, in June 2022, she attended a private meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State and immediately relayed detailed notes to her ROK NIS handler. She later hosted a Congressional staff happy hour at the behest of her handler, funded by ROK NIS and attended by a handler posing as a diplomat.
Terry received luxurious gifts and expensive meals from ROK officials, including handbags worth thousands of dollars and a costly Dolce & Gabbana coat. Additionally, Terry controlled an unrestricted “gift” account at her think tank, funded by ROK NIS, and was paid to publish articles promoting South Korean government positions.
Sue Mi Terry, 54, of New York, is charged with conspiracy to violate FARA and failure to register under FARA, both carrying maximum penalties of five years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a judge.
The investigation involved the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s New York Field Office, FBI Headquarters, the Washington Field Office, the Amtrak Police Department, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The case is handled by the National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Alexander Li, and Kyle A. Wirshba, and Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali leading the prosecution.
The charges in the Indictment are accusations, and Terry remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.