Former CIA employee charged with allegedly working for South Korea in exchange for luxury gifts
According to United States prosecutors, Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA employee, has been charged with working for South Korea in exchange for luxury gifts. The charges allege that Terry passed on confidential information and lobbied on behalf of South Korea’s government after leaving US government employment in 2011.
She allegedly received expensive gifts such as meals at Michelin-starred restaurants and designer handbags worth thousands of dollars. The indictment stated that South Korean handlers sent $37,000 to a think tank where Terry worked for a public policy program on Korea.
Terry’s lawyer denied the charges, claiming they were unfounded and distorted her work as an independent scholar and analyst. Despite the allegations, Terry’s legal team insists she was a critic of the South Korean government during the times she was allegedly acting on its behalf.
The Council on Foreign Relations, where Terry was employed, has placed her on unpaid administrative leave and expressed willingness to cooperate with any investigation related to the charges.