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Sue Mi Terry

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Sue Mi Terry
Sue Mi Terry speaking at a conference in 2018
Sue Mi Terry speaking at a conference in 2018
Born1971 or 1972 (age 52–53)[1]
Seoul, South Korea
EducationNew York University (BA)
Tufts University (PhD)
OccupationInternational relations scholar
EmployerCouncil on Foreign Relations
TitleSenior Fellow for Korea Studies
SpouseMax Boot[2]
Korean name
Hangul
김수미[3]
Revised RomanizationGim Sumi
McCune–ReischauerKim Sumi

Sue Mi Terry (born c. 1972) is a Korean-American scholar of international relations who previously held the position of senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations[4] and served as a CIA intelligence analyst specializing in East Asia.[5]

On July 16, 2024, Terry was arrested on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for the National Intelligence Service of South Korea. Allegedly, Terry used her roles at think tanks to secretly advance South Korean interests, including disclosing nonpublic U.S. government information and influencing policy. In return, she reportedly received luxury goods, expensive meals, and funding for her public policy program.[5]

Early life and education

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Terry was born in Seoul. After her father's death from liver cancer when she was in the fourth grade, she moved with her mother to the United States at age 12.[6][7] She was raised in Hawaii and Virginia.[8]

Terry received a B.A. in political science from New York University in 1993.[1][9] In 2001, she earned a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.[10]

Career

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She worked at the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council (NSC), the National Intelligence Council and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.[1][8] From 2001 to 2008, Terry was a senior analyst on Korean issues for the CIA, where she produced hundreds of intelligence assessments.[11] Terry subsequently admitted that she resigned from the CIA to avoid being fired over what she described as the agency's "problems" concerning her contacts with South Korean intelligence.[12][13]

From 2008 to 2009, Terry was director of Korea, Japan, and oceanic affairs at the NSC under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In that capacity, she formulated, coordinated, and implemented U.S. government policy toward Korea and Japan as well as Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.[14] She was a National Intelligence Fellow in the Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program from 2010 to 2011.[15] Subsequently she served as a Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute from 2011 to 2015[16] and a Senior Advisor for Korea at Bower Group Asia from 2015 to 2017.[17] Terry has received numerous awards for her leadership and mission support, including the 2008 CIA Foreign Language Award.[9][18]

In 2017 she became a senior fellow for the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.[9]

In 2021, she was named director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, succeeding Jean H. Lee.[19]

Terry has been cited as an expert on topics involving the Korean Peninsula, such as the likelihood of North Korean defections during and after the Olympics,[20] whether US election results will affect relations with North Korea,[21] the probabilities for success of summit meetings between state leaders in the US and North Korea,[22] the impact of postponing or canceling joint military exercises,[23] the effects of United Nations actions regarding human rights in North Korea[24] and whether North Korea will attack South Korea.[25]

Indictment

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On July 16, 2024, Terry was indicted and arrested for allegedly acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the South Korean government, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. According to the indictment, Terry began acting as an unregistered agent in 2013 and advocated for South Korean policy positions, disclosing nonpublic U.S. government information to South Korean intelligence officers, including providing to her handler in 2022 certain handwritten notes from a private meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In exchange, she allegedly received designer goods, upscale dinners, and over $37,000 in funding for policy programs she managed at think tanks via covert payments.[5][12][26] Terry coauthored an opinion piece for The Washington Post with her husband, Max Boot, a columnist for the paper, in 2023. Boot has not been charged with any wrongdoing. According to prosecutors, the article was written at the behest of South Korean officials and used information they provided without disclosing the involvement of the officials.[27]

Her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, rejected the U.S. government's allegations, saying that Terry upheld views as a scholar and news analyst even when it would clash with Seoul's perspective.[28] Following suspension, Terry resigned from her role at the Council on Foreign Relations.[4][29]

The indictment has been criticized by former White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig,[30] attorney Philip Rottner,[31] Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, and Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe. In Just Security, Craig wrote: "The Justice Department’s case against Dr. Terry is shockingly weak. If not completely wrong-headed to try to criminalize the conduct at issue (which I argue it is), the DOJ’s action is at best an overly aggressive enforcement action that is in no way worth the chilling effect it can have on scholars across this space.[32]

Other works

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Documentary

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Terry was a co-producer of "Beyond Utopia", an Emmy-nominated[33] documentary that largely centers around Pastor Seungeun Kim, a South Korean human rights activist and director of the Caleb Mission, which has rescued over 1,000 North Korean defectors since 2000.

Articles

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Korean American Lands Senior Fellowship at Influential Think Tank". The Chosun Ilbo. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Schaffer, Aaron; Nakashima, Ellen (July 17, 2024). "Ex-CIA analyst accused of working for South Korean intelligence service". washingtonpost.com.
  3. ^ 박성균 (December 27, 2013). "정치력 신장 캠페인 본격 전개". Korea Daily. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Terry, Sue Mi (2024-05-28). "The North Korean and Chinese Threats Are Growing. But so Is the Trilateral Response. | Council on Foreign Relations". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2024-08-14. Editor's Note: On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed the indictment of Sue Mi Terry on charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). CFR has a rigorous FARA compliance policy, and Dr. Terry is no longer a CFR employee as of July 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Former Government Official Arrested For Acting As Unregistered Agent Of South Korean Government" (Press release). U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  6. ^ "Dr. Sue Mi Terry, Columbia University" (PDF). US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "美, 北 공격 여부 올해 결정할 수밖에 없을 것". Asia Business Daily. January 25, 2018. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Sue Mi Terry: Senior Fellow, Korea Chair". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "Sue Mi Terry Joins CSIS as Senior Fellow for Korea Chair". Center for Strategic and International Studies. November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Terry, Sue Mi (2001). Park Chung Hee's Korea, 1961-1979: a study in political leadership and statecraft (PhD). Tufts University.
  11. ^ "Sue Mi Terry (F98, 01) | Tufts Global Leadership". tuftsgloballeadership.org. Archived from the original on 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  12. ^ a b Fahy, Claire (2024-07-16). "U.S. Accuses Former C.I.A. Analyst of Working for South Korea". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  13. ^ "United States of America v. Sue Mi Terry, defendant" (PDF). United States District Court, Southern District of New York. 2024-07-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  14. ^ "Dr. Sue Mi Terry Columbia University" (PDF). U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  15. ^ "Sue Mi Terry | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  16. ^ "Sue Mi Terry is Managing Director at Bower Group Asia" (PDF). docs.house.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  17. ^ "Dr. Sue Mi Terry is Director of the Asia Program and Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center" (PDF). docs.house.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  18. ^ "Dr. Sue Mi Terry Joins CSIS as Senior Fellow for Korea Chair". theseoultimes.com. 2017-11-06. Archived from the original on 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  19. ^ "Sue Mi Terry Appointed Director of the Hyundai Motor Korea Foundation Center | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  20. ^ Rich, Motoko (February 16, 2018). "Seeing Bounty Abroad, Will North Koreans Change Their Homeland?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  21. ^ Gramer, Robbie (October 8, 2018). "Will Republicans Lose Their Majority in Congress? Ask Pyongyang". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  22. ^ Krawchenko, Katiana (June 1, 2018). "Former CIA analyst: U.S. must remain "very, very skeptical" of North Korea". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  23. ^ Johnson, Jesse (January 25, 2018). "In announcement to all Koreans, Pyongyang calls for unification and end to U.S. military exercises". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  24. ^ Gladstone, Rick (November 18, 2014). "United Nations Urges North Korea Prosecutions". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  25. ^ Ackerman, Spencer (April 4, 2013). "Ex-CIA Analyst Expects North Korea to Attack South Korea Before Tensions End". Wired. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  26. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (July 16, 2024). "Former White House official is indicted for acting as South Korea agent". Reuters. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Schaffer, Aaron; Nakashima, Ellen (July 16, 2024). "Ex-CIA analyst accused of working for South Korean intelligence service". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024.
  28. ^ "US accuses North Korea expert Sue Mi Terry of working for South Korean spies | NK News". NK News - North Korea News. 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  29. ^ Schaffer, Michael (2 August 2024). "Max Boot Called Trump a Foreign Asset. Now His Wife Is Indicted for Just That". Politico. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Gregory B. Craig, "The Perils of Expertise: How the DOJ Indictment of Sue Mi Terry Can Chill the Think Tank World," Just Security, August 12, 2024".
  31. ^ "Philip Rotner, "The Inexplicable Prosecution of Sue Mi Terry," July 30, 2024".
  32. ^ "Gregory B. Craig, "The Perils of Expertise: How the DOJ Indictment of Sue Mi Terry Can Chill the Think Tank World," Just Security, August 12, 2024". Just Security.
  33. ^ ""Beyond Utopia" Nominated for a 2024 Emmy Award". Human Rights Foundation. 2024-07-20. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  34. ^ Boot, Max; Terry, Sue Mi (May 27, 2024). "This nascent trilateral relationship is the best possible answer to China". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  35. ^ Terry, Sue Mi (2024-05-16). "The Coming North Korean Crisis". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Archived from the original on 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  36. ^ Terry, Sue Mi (2024-01-30). "The Dangers of Overreacting to North Korea's Provocations". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Archived from the original on 2024-05-03. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  37. ^ Terry, Sue Mi (2023-01-19). "The New North Korean Threat". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Archived from the original on 2024-05-03. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
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