US Prosecutors' Indictment Reveals... "Korean National Intelligence Service Gifted Luxury Bag to Sumi Terrier"

U.S. prosecutors have uncovered evidence that Sumi Terry, a North Korea expert and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), received luxury handbags, high-end clothing, and other valuables and hospitality from the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS). Terry, a former CIA analyst, has been indicted on charges of working for the South Korean government without reporting it to her own government.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th (local time), U.S. prosecutors released a 31-page indictment against Terry. She faces charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for receiving expensive gifts and hospitality while acting on behalf of the South Korean government without notifying the U.S. Department of Justice.

The indictment states that over a period of more than ten years, Terry received lavish meals, high-priced clothing, handbags, and substantial research funding from the South Korean NIS and others. The indictment also includes photos of text messages exchanged between Terry and South Korean officials, detailed lists of the valuables she received, and the manner in which she was entertained.

CCTV footage of the Louis Vuitton store submitted as evidence by the U.S. prosecution / Photo by U.S. Southern District of New York Prosecutor's Office indictment photo capture

U.S. prosecutors believe that Terry arranged meetings with current and former U.S. government officials at the request of NIS executives and contributed articles to media outlets representing the South Korean government's positions.

According to the indictment, prosecutors found that Terry began contact with South Korean NIS agents holding diplomatic status starting in 2013, five years after retiring from the CIA, continuing up to recent times.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In November 2019, Terry received a Dolce & Gabbana luxury coat valued at $2,845 (approximately 3.92 million KRW) and a Bottega Veneta luxury handbag worth $2,950 (approximately 4.07 million KRW) as gifts from a Korean embassy counselor dispatched by the NIS in Washington, D.C.

A few days later, she exchanged the Dolce & Gabbana coat at a store for a Christian Dior coat valued at $4,100 (approximately 5.66 million KRW).

The indictment includes photos showing an NIS executive making the payment for the handbag at the store and Terry leaving the store together with the NIS executive after the purchase.

U.S. prosecutors confirmed these facts through the NIS executive’s credit card transaction records and store CCTV footage. They also seized the coat and luxury handbag mentioned in the indictment during a search of Terry’s residence as evidence.

Dinner scene between Sumi Terry and an NIS executive submitted as evidence by the U.S. prosecution / Photo by U.S. Southern District of New York Prosecutor's Office indictment photo capture

Additionally, prosecutors attached photos as evidence showing Terry dining with NIS executives at a Greek restaurant in Manhattan, New York. There is also a photo of a memo indicating that Terry passed on information about a confidential North Korea policy meeting held on June 17, 2022, at the U.S. State Department building to the South Korean side.

The meeting was attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, senior State Department officials, and five North Korea experts. Immediately after the meeting, Terry got into a vehicle with an NIS executive, who reportedly photographed a two-page memo Terry had written.

Memo of Sumi Terry's State Department briefing submitted as evidence by the U.S. prosecution / Photo by U.S. Southern District of New York Prosecutor's Office, photo capture

U.S. prosecutors also viewed Terry’s media contributions as compensation for the valuables provided by the South Korean government. The indictment states that in January 2023, an NIS executive explained South Korea’s North Korea policy, including “extended deterrence enhancement,” the pursuit of establishing the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), and Korea-Japan relations to Terry, who subsequently authored articles on these topics.