[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] A claim by a Chinese intelligence agency that foreign governments are conducting espionage using turtles and fish is drawing attention.
According to local media, including Global Times, the Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China (MSS) recently issued a strong warning through its official social media account, saying that espionage activities by foreign forces are being carried out across Chinese territorial waters and that so-called "underwater spy warfare" is under way.
According to the ministry, foreign intelligence agencies are attaching precision sensors to marine life such as turtles and fish and sending them into sensitive Chinese waters. These creatures are said to be collecting various types of marine data underwater and transmitting the information back to their home countries via overseas satellites.
Chinese intelligence authorities described the activity as part of a foreign force's "invisible secret war" aimed at mapping the coastline's "underwater terrain."
They also said they had recovered reconnaissance buoys equipped with weather-monitoring and high-precision eavesdropping sensors, as well as solar-powered wave gliders capable of monitoring port activity in real time.
The authorities warned that if sensitive data such as current patterns, water temperature characteristics, temperature distribution, and seabed topography were leaked overseas, it could pose a serious threat to China's national, military, and economic security. They urged marine researchers, ship owners, and fishermen to immediately report any suspicious objects or creatures found at sea. Meanwhile, Chinese security authorities are reportedly offering rewards of up to 500,000 yuan, or about 100 million won, to fishermen who recover or report maritime spy equipment.
Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
