Terry served in several U.S. government positions from 2001 to 2011, including with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), after leaving government service, Terry worked as an agent of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea, for more than a decade without registering as a foreign agent with the attorney general, in violation of federal law. The indictment alleges that Terry was “covertly directed” by ROK officials while publicly advocating for South Korean policy positions and disclosing non-public U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers. This enabled ROK officials to gain access to American officials. In exchange, she received luxury goods, expensive dinners and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program she controlled. Gifts she allegedly received include:Sue Mi Terry, wife of Washington Post columnist Max Boot, has been arrested and indicted by a grand jury on charges of secretly working for the South Korean government.
The DOJ described Terry as “a valuable ‘source’ of information for the ROK National Intelligence Service, the primary intelligence agency for the ROK.” One of Terry’s activities on behalf of South Korea included participating in an off-the-record meeting with a U.S. Secretary-level official about U.S.-South Korea policy. She then met her handler immediately after the meeting, passing along detailed handwritten notes. These notes were written on the letterhead of the think tank where she had recently worked. Her handler picked her up in a car with ROK Embassy diplomatic plates. A few weeks later, Terry hosted a happy hour for congressional staff, an event attended by her handler — an ROK intelligence officer who posed as a diplomat to mingle with Congressional staff without revealing his true identity. Political and media analysts quickly highlighted the story given that Terry’s husband, Boot, has been one of the harshest and most vocal critics of former President Donald Trump during the Russiagate scandal. George Papadopoulous, an ex-Trump adviser who was convicted and served 14 days in prison in connection with the Russia investigation, wrote on X: “Washington Post columnist @MaxBoot’s wife was just charged with being a foreign agent. This after years of him writing and calling me, Trump and others agents of foreign powers. You cannot make this up.” Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief at The Federalist, wrote on X: “Max Boot, a deranged Never Trumper who spent years falsely accusing Trump of being a secret foreign agent, is married to a former CIA analyst who was just arrested for being a secret foreign agent. Amazing.” Journalist Glen Greenwald wrote on X: “Boot's wife, the former CIA analyst (of course) Sue Mi Terry, has written several articles for WPost, jointly with Boot, almost always publishing arguments to serve the interests of South Korea, all while (according to DOJ), she was helping their spies infilltrate [sic] Washington.”
Terry’s lawyer, Lee Wolosky, indicated that she will fight the charges.
“These allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States,” Wolosky said in a statement quoted by The Washington Post. “Dr. Terry has not held a security clearance for over a decade 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.” Terry is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
