Former Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) senior fellow and prominent North Korea expert Sue Terry has reached a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, conditional on her abstaining from any contact with the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS).
As a result, Terry has avoided a jury trial that was scheduled to begin on the 27th. Prosecutors have suspended criminal proceedings for the next 12 months and plan to drop the charges if Terry complies with the agreement’s conditions. However, a violation could result in the resumption of trial proceedings.
Under the terms of the agreement, Terry is prohibited from communicating with NIS employees and must obtain prior approval before contacting other South Korean government officials. She is also barred from leaving the U.S. mainland without authorization or accepting gifts valued over $100 from foreign governments.
Terry acknowledged receiving luxury bags and apparel worth approximately $9,245, along with at least 19 catered meals, from NIS officials. She also admitted to passing notes from a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State to the NIS and receiving roughly $37,000 in South Korean funding for a research program she was involved in. However, she did not admit to knowingly violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Terry was initially indicted in July 2024 on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for the South Korean government to gather information. Prosecutors recently revealed the real names of three NIS employees who interacted with Terry during trial preparations.
Terry’s defense counsel expressed satisfaction with the agreement, maintaining their previous stance that her interactions with South Korean government officials were legitimate activities as a diplomatic and security expert aligned with U.S. interests.
