Former CIA analyst, White House official accused of being unregistered foreign agent who accepted luxury goods to lobby for South Korea

A former Central Intelligence Agency analyst and White House National Security Council member has been accused of acting as an unregistered agent of South Korea. Sue Mi Terry, who until recently worked for a number of high-profile think tanks including the Council on Foreign Relations, was indicted on charges of failing to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act and conspiring to violate that law.

According to the indictment, filed by a United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Terry allegedly began working for South Korea in 2013, five years after she'd left the CIA. She was said to have advocated for South Korean policy positions, disclosed "nonpublic US government information" to South Korean intelligence officers, and acted as a middleman between officials of both countries. In exchange for allegedly doing Seoul's bidding, she was provided with luxury goods, trips to Michelin star restaurants, and donations to her think tank.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation first suspected that Terry was working for Seoul in 2014, and called her in for an interview. When questioned, she was said to have become "visibly nervous, changed her speech pattern, and began to stutter and shift in her seat." Agents tracked and photographed her with South Korean handlers as they dined in fancy Washington, DC restaurants and purchased products from stores such as Louis Vuitton, and Christian Dior. On many of those occasions, her handlers allegedly provided her with lines which she then repeated during media appearances.

In a statement to the New York Times, Terry's lawyer Lee Wolosky said the allegations misrepresented "the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States."

"Dr. Terry has not held a security clearance for over a decade," he added, "and her views on matters relating to the Korean Peninsula have been consistent over many years. In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf. Once the facts are made clear, it will be evident the government made a significant mistake." Upon learning of the allegations, Terry was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the  Council on Foreign Relations.