KFTC is fining a semi-equipment supplier over tech-data demands - the read-through is process friction, not the won amount
The Opportunity
A Korea-origin enforcement headline says the Korea Fair Trade Commission sanctioned Semics over allegedly unlawful technical-data requests from a subcontractor. The directional call is SHORT because the mechanism is negative: when regulators frame technical-data handling as a compliance offence, it increases friction in supplier relationships and can create reputational overhang in B2B procurement, even if the immediate fine is small. The market edge is geographic: this is not showing up in US investor chatter, yet the semi equipment ecosystem is globally linked.
The Timing
Freshness is 80, and the posture is IGNITE, consistent with a contained regional item that could propagate if Korean press or official notices broaden. The regime is Mixed 48 with a weak macro headwind for shorts (Headwind 16), so you are relying on the story itself to travel. The confirm-or-kill trigger is straightforward: an official KFTC artefact/case ID and corroboration by additional Korean outlets would promote; no follow-on coverage and no broader enforcement pattern would demote and keep this local.
The Evidence
The core hydrated source is biz.chosun.com , timestamped 22 February 2026, with specific allegations (piping drawings, parts list, written explanation requirements) and the regulator framing around monitoring procedural violations. 7.1 flags the most useful absence: no social signals, consistent with geographic arbitrage being intact. What is still missing is broader case clustering that would turn this into a sector posture rather than a one-off.