NIS activities get caught by Washington

Sue Mi Terry, a prominent North Korea expert who serves as a senior fellow at the Council Foreign Relations, was indicted on Tuesday (local time) by U.S. federal prosecutors on charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Korean-American ex-CIA agent allegedly worked as, in effect, an illegal lobbyist on behalf of the South Korean government without disclosing her relationship with the foreign principal.

The indictment involves security camera images of high-ranking South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials, who handled diplomatic affairs in the United States, purchasing luxury handbags for the senior fellow and treating her at Michelin-starred restaurants. Some experts criticize Seoul’s intelligence authorities for lack of security awareness and intelligence activities against its ally.

As released by the New York Southern District Court on Tuesday, the indictment states that Terry received Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, and a Dolce & Gabbana coat (which was later exchanged for a Christian Dior coat with additional cost paid) in return for arranging meetings with senior U.S. officials and writing Congressional testimonies and articles at the request of NIS agents. Terry and NIS seniors were often spotted having dinners at high-end restaurants in New York and Washington.

Terry also faces allegations that she received 37,000 dollars for her think tank’s operating budget by hiding the origin of the funds from the NIS. Moreover, the federal prosecutors argue that NIS officials asked her to emphasize the significance of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and appreciate improvements in the relationship between Seoul and Tokyo in opinion articles for major U.S. media outlets before last year’s R.O.K.-U.S.summit.

Exceptionally, Washington prosecuted its ally’s government-led diplomatic activities that support the U.S. think tank expert for engaging in illegal lobbying. Back in 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation accused Park Il-woo, a Korean-American businessman, of being paid by the NIS to spy on North Korea in the United States. However, it is the first time that Washington indicted an ex-government agent who works as a think tank expert.

Born in Seoul and relocated to the United States when young, Terry went to New York University and Tufts University in Boston. She served as a CIA expert on North Korea, a member of the U.S. National Security Council in charge of South Korea and Japan, and a deputy officer for East Asia at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In a statement sent to The Dong-A Ilbo, her lawyer said the federal court’s claim has no foundation. She added that she has firmly supported the R.O.K.-U.S. alliance and that only Pyongyang would be happy with this indictment.


밀워키=문병기 특파원 weappon@donga.com