"If you want to now who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize."
- Voltaire

"You have a chance of learning -- if you want to and you're not arrogant." - Gene Sharp

"At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don't use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return." 
- Marcus Aurelius
I hope this does not create more friction in the alliance but these types of incidents often generate anti-US sentiment.

USFK acknowledges bringing in coronavirus samples from overseas for testing at local labs | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · April 6, 2020
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday it has commissioned civilian labs in South Korea to conduct coronavirus tests on samples from American troops stationed outside of the Korean Peninsula as it was unable to handle all outside test requests.
A vernacular daily reported earlier in the day that 72 American servicemembers have been confirmed to have the virus in tests conducted by a South Korean research institute in Seoul at the request of the U.S. military hospital at Camp Humphreys.
The paper cited USFK saying that the servicemembers were not part of USFK but "soldiers who contribute to South Korea's security." The daily raised speculation that they could be sailors on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Theodore Roosevelt or servicemembers stationed in Okinawa or Guam.
USFK acknowledged outsourcing coronavirus tests to local laboratories.
"USFK agreed to help other off-peninsula military services conduct test samples as we have the capability to test 80-100 daily, but are probably overwhelmed due to the recent run of contractor confirmed cases. So we've outsourced them to the ROK labs," USFK said in a statement sent to Yonhap News Agency.
USFK did not provide further details, including how many samples were brought in from outside the Korean Peninsula or how many local labs have been involved.
In response to controversy over bringing in virus samples, health authorities said that several foreign countries have asked local institutions for coronavirus testing, and some cases have been approved as long as they do not affect the country's disease control system.
"To minimize any possible impacts on our quarantine system, we've issued an administrative order, which went into effect on April 1, which requires local labs to report such requests to the authorities in advance for consultations," Jeong Eun-kyeong, director-general of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said in a regular briefing.
Foreign entities are not required to notify local labs of personal information of the testees, she said.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Personal Email: d[email protected]
Phone: 202-573-8647
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FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.


If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."