Ex-CIA analyst accused of working for South Korea for luxury handbags

US prosecutors have indicted a former CIA analyst and White House official on charges she worked as an agent of the South Korean government in exchange for designer handbags, high-priced dinners and other luxury goods.

Sue Mi Terry failed to register as a foreign agent and disclosed US government information to South Korean intelligence, according to the 31-page indictment filed Monday at a federal court in New York.

“At the direction of ROK Government officials, Terry advocated ROK policy positions … disclosed nonpublic US Government information to ROK intelligence officers, and facilitated access for ROK Government officials to US Government officials,” according to the indictment, which referred to South Korea by its official acronym.

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In return for her services, Terry’s South Korean handlers gifted her a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag, and a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, as well as other goods, according to the indictment.

She was also taken to “multiple” Michelin-starred restaurants and provided with $37,000 in covert payments to a think tank where she worked.

The indictment includes security camera images showing Terry meeting her South Korean handlers in Washington stores to be gifted luxury handbags.

Besides the CIA, Terry, who is a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, also worked on the White House National Security Council.

Terry, who was employed by the US government from 2001 to around 2011, allegedly began her work for South Korea in 2013 and continued it for a decade despite being warned in 2014 by FBI agents that South Korean intelligence might try to approach her.

Her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, denied the allegations.

“These allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States,” Wolosky said in a statement quoted by US media.

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South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, told AFP it was in contact with its US counerpart regarding the indictment.

“The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US are in close communication with each other regarding the report on the indictment (involving) the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” it said.

Asked about the case, South Korea’s foreign ministry told AFP: “It is not appropriate to comment on matters where foreign legal procedures are ongoing.”

According to the indictment, Terry is a naturalized US citizen who was born in South Korea’s capital of Seoul and raised in Virginia and Hawaii.

© Agence France-Presse