Here is an interview in the Stars and Stripes with the first U.S. soldier in South Korea to be infected with the coronavirus:

Army Spc. Deontae Chappel, the first U.S. service member to test positive for the coronavirus, was “shocked” but not overly worried when he found out he had the respiratory disease in late February.

But then the 23-year-old network systems clerk learned his wife and toddler also had been infected and would be joining him in a hospital isolation unit on Camp Humphreys, the main U.S. military base in South Korea.

“The saddest thing throughout the entire process was knowing that my wife and daughter caught it. If it was just me, I would say, ‘OK I’m going to prevail,’” Chappel said Tuesday in his first interview since being discharged from medical care.

Stars & Stripes

Her is the most interesting part of the interview:

“The tests were fluctuating between positive and negative the entire time,” he said, sitting in a conference room in which everyone present was placed a socially distant 6 feet away from each other.

These fluctuations in test results is likely what explains the supposed “reinfections” of South Koreans that has been making media news.

You can read more at the link, but is good to hear that SPC Chappel and his family are doing well after this ordeal.

This is a sign of the changing technology:

An assessment prepared by the Office of the Secretary of Defense proposes cutting two aircraft carriers from the U.S. Navy’s roster to boost the number of smaller warships. Under the proposal, the Navy would retire two aircraft carriers and plow the savings into buying several dozen frigate-sized ships, as well as large unmanned ships. The proposal is likely to run into stiff opposition from proponents of carriers as well as the carrier lobby both inside and outside government.

The study, according to Defense News, would trim the number of nuclear-powered “supercarriers” from 11 to just nine. The number of large surface combatants, both guided missile cruisers and guided missile destroyers, would remain constant at between 80 and 90, compared to the approximately 83 ships in service right now. The number of frigate-sized small surface combatants, on the other hand, would swell from 15 to 20 to between 55 and 70.

Popular Mechanics

You can read more at the link, but smaller ships including unmanned ships make more sense if the Navy is preparing for a conflict to keep sea lanes open in the South China Sea. Bulky carriers that are big targets for China’s increasing ballistic missile capabilities are more challenging to deploy in response to such a crisis.

There is no doubt there are stupid, racist people out there, but it seems to me the media is just eager to create another victim group and sensationalizing a few random incidents:

When Eddie Song leaves his Manhattan home, it can feel like heading into battle. The Korean American startup founder and avid rider dons his armored motorcycle jacket, motorcycle gloves, a skull face mask and a GoPro camera.

“The GoPro is on all the time whenever I leave the house now. Basically it’s a rolling camera,” Song said. “With the combination of looking intimidating and having the camera — if they pick a fight with me, they know I’m prepared.”

As the coronavirus first seen in China now ravages the U.S., Asian Americans are continuing to wrestle with a second epidemic: hate. Hundreds of attacks on Asian people have been reported, with few signs of decline. Rather than feel helpless, many are filming their interactions or carrying guns.

Associated Press

You can read more at the link, but the AP article of course gives the obligatory reference that this is all Trump’s fault for calling it the “China Virus”.

Celebrity gossip sight TMZ has now jumped on the Kim Jong-un story by speculating that he has died:

North Korea’s Supreme Leader/dictator Kim Jong-un has reportedly died, or is on his death bed with no hope for recuperation — according to media outlets in China and Japan.

Amid reports China has sent a medical team to their communist neighbors this week to check in/advise on Kim, a Hong Kong-backed news channel’s vice director — who’s apparently the niece of a Chinese foreign minister — blasted out the news herself … he’s dead. TMZ has not confirmed that.

The woman put the report on a social media app called Weibo for her nearly 15 million followers to read, citing a “very solid source” about the claim Kim had, in fact, perished. A Japanese magazine reports he’s in a “vegetative state” after a heart surgery gone wrong.

The outlet reports — citing a Chinese medical expert privy to the situation — that Kim had clutched his chest in early April and fell down while visiting the countryside there. He needed a stent procedure done, but apparently … it either wasn’t done rapidly enough, or it was botched completely by the surgeon — with some reports saying he had shaky hands.

TMZ via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but I would be very skeptical of the story that is sourced from a Weibo posting. Here is what the Korean media is reporting:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stayed out of public sight Saturday, as the reclusive nation’s tightly controlled media focused their coverage on the founding anniversary of its armed forces.

They have carried no report of Kim’s public activity since April 11, sparking speculation that the 36-year-old might be critically ill.

Pyongyang‘s propaganda outlets instead hyped the 88th anniversary of the birth of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA) that falls on April 25.

Korea Herald

Here is what the Japanese media is reporting:

Back in 1986, the South Korean media reported that Kim Il Sung had died in a coup d’etat, fatally shot by a senior officer of the North Korean Army.

The source of this shocking news, which turned out to be false, was said to have been a U.S. intelligence officer who misunderstood an intercepted Pyongyang Broadcasting Station report.

And now, what is really going on?

According to a colleague of mine stationed in Seoul, the Blue House denies rumors of Kim Jong Un’s health crisis, noting the South Korean government is “not aware of any irregular developments (in Pyongyang).”

However, my colleague also told me the prevalent view in South Korea now is that Kim very likely had some kind of cardiac surgery.

Asahi Shimbun

The longer that Kim Jong-un does not make an appearance the more likely he has had a surgery of some kind done. Remember that last time this happened he had ankle surgery so this reported current health issue could be a further complication of that prior surgery. I think everyone just needs to let this thing play out a little bit longer before declaring he has died.

Hopefully firefighters are able to get this blaze under control before it becomes a major threat to property owners:

Firefighters on Saturday continued to battle a mountain fire in the southeastern city of Andong that broke out the previous day, as strong winds hampered their containment efforts.

The fire, which was first reported on Friday afternoon, has affected an estimated 100 hectares of mountain land, with no casualties reported yet. 

Authorities have ordered nearby residents to evacuate and restricted traffic around the city.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Chin Young ordered officials to use all available resources to contain the fire as soon as possible and minimize its impact.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.