On Wednesday, in response to the arrest of Sue Mi Terry, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), on charges of illegally acting on behalf of the South Korean government, Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun Dong stated, “I have nothing in particular to say.”
Meanwhile, the South Korean government is communicating this matter with the U.S.
When asked whether the recent incident will negatively impact the South Korea-U.S. ties, Cho responded, “Prosecution press releases have been issued, and it is being done according to U.S. legal procedures.”
While engaged in diplomatic negotiations and meeting with Trump’s team at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a significant development occurred. Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on the prosecutor’s official website that Sue Mi Terry was arrested in New York on Tuesday. Terry had previously worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the White House National Security Council (NSC), and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
The prosecution’s indictment states that Sue Mi Terry began acting as a representative for the South Korean government after meeting an individual who identified themselves as a counselor to the South Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations in 2013, five years after she retired from the CIA in 2008. She is accused of relaying confidential information to agents of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) stationed in the U.S. and arranging meetings with current and former U.S. government officials.
The case against Terry primarily centers on her alleged disclosure of details from a private meeting of North Korean experts that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended in 2022 with an NIS executive. The prosecution alleges that in return for her cooperation with the South Korean government, Terry received a luxury coat and bag, high-end meals, and research funds totaling $37,000.
To engage in extensive activities for a foreign government, one must report. Still, she did not register as a foreign agent with American officials, as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). According to the prosecutor, she faces two counts, one for failing to register under the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act and the other for conspiring to violate it, each of which could result in a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Williams argued, “Terry is accused of selling her standing and influence to the South Korean government in exchange for luxury handbags, expensive meals, and thousands of dollars for her public policy program.” He warned, “This indictment will send a clear message to public policy practitioners who may be tempted to sell their expertise to foreign governments to reconsider and comply with the law.
In response to Sue Mi Terry’s indictment by U.S. prosecutors, the National Intelligence Service stated, “South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are closely communicating.” However, they did not provide details about the specific content of these communications.
A South Korean diplomatic official also refused to comment, “It is inappropriate to comment on a matter under foreign legal proceedings.”
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