Running late today and so I do not have any commentary up top. I apologize for the later delivery of the newsletter over the last month. Having the kids home has affected my schedule but more importantly I am allowing myself too many distractions as spending so much time digging into the deluge of grim news about China and the pandemic are stressing my sanity. I will do better, and appreciate your patience.

I am also looking to add more paid interns, so if you know anyone with native-level Chinese who has some free time please send them my way.

The rumor mill was churning last night about the health of Kim Jung Un. I wonder how stressed the PRC leadership may be if it is true, given they are always worried about chaos, refugees and loose nukes just over the border, and if Kim were to die there is a scenario in which the PRC could be faced with a massive refugee crisis on its DPRK border, when there are an unknown number of Covid-19 cases inside North Korea, and China is already so wor…