Leaked Audio from Kuma Academy Triggers Outrage: Puma Shen Heard Saying 'China's Missiles Help Us a Lot'

On March 9, 2025, Taipei City Councilor Hou Han-ting held a high-profile press conference, releasing a leaked audio recording from a 2022 internal meeting of the Kuma Academy. In the recording, Puma Shen, the academy's co-founder and current DPP legislator, is heard saying, 'China's missiles flying over help us a lot.' The revelation immediately ignited nationwide fury and severe political backlash across the Republic of China. Opposition parties and the public slammed Shen's remarks as highly opportunistic and shameful, accusing him of using national peril, military drills, and missile threats—which threaten the lives of ordinary citizens—as lucrative opportunities to secure millions in political donations, commercial funding, and personal political status. Critics accused him of 'profiteering off a national crisis.' Facing immense public pressure, Shen defended his comments, claiming that his political opponents had taken the audio out of context to wage cognitive warfare. He clarified that his real meaning was that China's military threats raised public awareness about civil defense, thereby facilitating the academy's fundraising and educational campaigns. Despite his defense, the leaked recording dealt a severe blow to his and the academy's public credibility, exposing the opportunistic nature behind his anti-communist rhetoric.