Ben Forney

South Korea's fishermen keep dying. Is climate change to blame? An increase in deadly incidents has been partly caused by climate change, an inquiry found.

The wildest statistic from this piece is that half of Korea's fishermen are over 65. I can't imagine doing that kind of work into one's 60s or 70s.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Korean Companies Begin to Feel Overtaken by China... 57% Say "Caught Up in Technology Over 15 Years" China, which has traditionally secured competitiveness by lowering prices rather than focusing on technology, is now rapidly overtaking South Korea in ...

According to a survey of Korean companies, 32.4% believed that their technology was superior to their Chinese competitors. In 2010, that number was 89.6%.

cm.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2...

The Spy Hunter #123 Two cases of Chinese industrial espionage in Samsung's semiconductor and display divisions.

Samsung’s #semiconductor and #display divisions both had employees indicted for stealing #technology on behalf of Chinese competitors this week.

Without a massive corporate cultural shift, #Korea is not going to survive competition with #China.

open.substack.com/pub/thespyhu...

Exclusive: Chinese drone experts worked with sanctioned Russian arms maker, sources say Reuters is the first to report specific details of the extensive involvement of Chinese experts in tests and technological work on military-use drones inside Russia.

Excellent Reuters exclusive shows that a team of experts from Chinese drone maker Sichuan AEE have visited Russian arms maker Kupol’s facilities in Izhevsk and Chebarkul to assemble drones and train staff to use them. Chinese firm Hunan Haotianyi also supplied drones. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

South Korea would accept a Trump-Kim deal to freeze nuclear programme as 'emergency measure' Lee Jae Myung tells the BBC he wants to restore trust with North Korea.

South Korea would accept a Trump-Kim deal to freeze nuclear programme as 'emergency measure' www.bbc.com/news/article...

What Are China's Military Universities Up To This Month? (September, 2025) The latest projects, partners, and publications of the Seven Sons of National Defense.

This week, The Spy Hunter newsletter tracks the projects, partners, and publications of the Seven Sons of National Defense from the past month.

#china #academia #defense #research #aerospace #AI

thespyhunter.substack.com/p/what-are-c...

US officers tied us up and pointed guns at us, South Korean engineers tell BBC Korean workers who were detained in the US say they were treated like criminals and are still in shock.

"We tried to sleep anywhere, really. It was really cold. There were people who found packaged bread, heated it up in the microwave, hugging it throughout the night."

This is what $350 billion buys you in America nowadays.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Don’t Overestimate the Autocratic Alliance Washington still has significant leverage over China, North Korea, and Russia.

"The last time China, North Korea, and Russia aligned this closely was during the Korean War, which ended badly for all."

www.foreignaffairs.com/china/dont-o...

North Korea executing more people for watching foreign films and TV, UN finds The report is based on more than 300 interviews with escapees from Kim Jong Un's secretive regime.

“Last week, Kim Jong Un joined the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing, signalling these countries' tacit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and treatment of its citizens.”

www.bbc.com/news/article...

The China-Russia Collaboration Tracker (September 2025) From aerospace to academia - the joint projects from the past month.

Everyone saw the parade last week, but the real story was off stage: 22 Russia-China deals in energy, space, media & more, many tied to sanctioned entities.

This week, The Spy Hunter tracks how new #China and #Russia projects are sidestepping sanctions.

thespyhunter.substack.com/p/the-china-...

China’s Exports to Africa Are Soaring as Trade to U.S. Plunges

"China is really the only game in town."

As the US' last remaining influence in #Africa fades away, #China is cashing in.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/b...

The Global Reach of China's Torch Center: From Innovation to Infiltration ...and how the South Korean government is helping them.

To read more, check out this week's issue of The Spy Hunter on Substack.
thespyhunter.substack.com/p/the-global...

12/
💡 Bottom line:
The Torch Center is not a neutral incubator. It’s an innovation-to-infiltration pipeline, tightly linked to China’s political and military agenda. Foreign firms engaging with it risk far more than they realize.

11/
This isn’t just a Korea problem. It’s a U.S. concern too.
China uses Torch to fill gaps in its innovation system by absorbing foreign tech. Without pushback, tomorrow’s private sector breakthroughs in the West could fuel Beijing’s military rise.

10/
Policy recommendations:

🚫 Shut down KIC-China
🤝 Improve South Korean gov’t coordination (security vs. commerce)
📢 Educate firms on Torch risks
🕵️‍♂️ Name names—publicize high-risk Chinese partners

9/
Why do Korean firms still engage?
✅ Fast profits, scaling via China’s supplier networks
✅ Access to EV, battery, hydrogen markets

But the risks outweigh rewards: IP theft, espionage, reputational damage, and national security blowback.

8/
The risk: Korean IP enters Torch’s ecosystem → military-civil fusion pipeline.
What Seoul sees as “market access” could mean handing cutting-edge robotics, AI, and aviation tech to Beijing’s defense industry.

7/
KIC-China markets itself as a bridge for Korean startups into China. In reality, it’s a pipeline into the Torch system.
Events from 2023–25 include:

- “Korean Tech Entrepreneurs Tour”
- China-Korea Innovation Forums
“- K-Demo Day” pitching Korean mobility/aviation firms to Chinese investors.

6/
Despite this, foreign institutions still partner.
🇬🇧 UKRI co-hosted biotech events.
🇭🇺 Hungary openly welcomed a China-Hungary Torch Innovation Center.
🇰🇷 But South Korea is the biggest facilitator, via KIC-China.

5/
Torch’s incubation network includes “Seven Sons” defense universities (BIT, Northwestern Polytechnical, Harbin Engineering, etc.), all under U.S. export controls.
Engagement risks foreign tech feeding directly into China’s defense.

4/
Torch programs double as influence tools:

- Works with the United Front (political influence/espionage arm).
- Hosts global tech transfer events that scout foreign IP.
- Runs military-civil fusion competitions on LiDAR, rocket engines, AI.

3/
Torch isn’t just about business. It’s about industrial policy and geopolitics. By moving under MIIT in 2023, Torch was hardwired into China’s industrial strategy, aligning research, industry, and Party priorities.

2/
Founded in 1989, the Torch High Tech Industry Development Center evaluates 178 industrial zones, manages incubators, certifies high-tech firms, and oversees China’s biggest innovation competitions.
In 2024 alone, its zones produced 19.3 trillion RMB.

1/
🚨 New deep dive from The Spy Hunter newsletter:

China’s Torch Center is more than an innovation hub. It’s a state-run pipeline linking R&D, industry, and Party objectives with global reach and high risks for foreign partners.

Let’s unpack. 🧵

"Students from #China are particularly drawn to mechatronics and robotics, machine system design and management technology, ballistics and aerodynamics as well as artificial intelligence in engineering physics."

If you're thinking of traveling to #China for business, be prepared for an extended stay. The use of exit bans is increasing and often arbitrary.

“You have no idea that you are the one who might be banned…You know nothing.”

www.economist.com/china/2025/0...

China's Strategic Partnerships and Joint Ventures (August 2025) Companies with military and surveillance ties expand their reach.

This week's newsletter has some really interesting findings on where Chinese military and surveillance-linked companies are expanding their footprint internationally.

#China #technology #economicsecurity #business

thespyhunter.substack.com/p/chinas-str...

Great research and reporting.

#China #Russia #Iran

The Spy Hunter #115 Two cases of semiconductor trade secret theft and illegal talent poaching in Taiwan.

In this week’s edition of The Spy Hunter:

- Taiwanese prosecutors arrest six people over an alleged theft of trade secrets related to TSMC’s 2-nanometer chip technology.
-And also in Taiwan, a case of illegal tech talent poaching from China.

thespyhunter.substack.com/p/the-spy-hu...

The original Korean article lists the correct CEO of Intel, Lip-Bu Tan.

The English version has been online for three days without a correction.

biz.chosun.com/internationa...