Sumi Terry, North Korea Expert Indicted in US, Nominated for Emmy with Defector Documentary

Co-production of 'Beyond Utopia'

Sumy Terry, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a North Korea expert who was recently indicted by the U.S. prosecutors for allegedly acting illegally on behalf of the South Korean government, has been nominated for an Emmy Award as a producer of the North Korean defector documentary film "Beyond Utopia."

According to the list of nominees for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards announced by the U.S. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on the 17th (local time), Terry was included as one of the four co-producers of "Beyond Utopia."

Sumi Terry, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

"Beyond Utopia" is a documentary that captures the life-threatening escape journey of a North Korean defector family. It tells the story of a family spanning three generations who successfully escaped to South Korea through China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and a mother’s attempt to bring her son from North Korea to South Korea. The film was directed by Madeline Gavin, a well-known figure in the American independent film industry.

The documentary vividly portrays the perilous process of defection and has been screened worldwide to critical acclaim since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year. It was also shortlisted as a preliminary nominee for the Best Documentary Feature category at the Academy Awards late last year.

In January this year, the U.S. Department of State held an unprecedented screening at its Washington D.C. headquarters to raise awareness and understanding of North Korean human rights issues. It was also broadcast on the U.S. public television network PBS.

Researcher Terry is a Korean-American North Korea expert who has worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the White House National Security Council (NSC). She was arrested the day before on charges of acting on behalf of the South Korean government without notifying U.S. authorities but was released on bail.

According to the U.S. prosecutors’ indictment, after retiring from the CIA, Terry is accused of conducting intelligence gathering and arranging meetings with officials for the South Korean National Intelligence Service. During this process, she is alleged to have received luxury handbags and other goods as compensation, as well as $37,000 in research funds. In the U.S., anyone acting on behalf of a foreign government must register with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and prosecutors believe she violated this obligation.