Chinese American Who Studied North Korean Nuclear Test Detection Has Been Detained in China for 20 Months

[Financial News] A Chinese American in his 50s who studied how to detect North Korea's nuclear tests has reportedly been detained in China for 20 months. The case could become a source of friction in U.S.-China relations. President Donald Trump is said to have asked Xi Jinping for his release during his visit to China in May.
On the 13th local time, British media reported that "Yeo-rin Chen, a U.S.-born seismologist, has been detained in China for more than 20 months." Chen was reportedly arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on Nov. 5, 2024, while trying to visit family in China and return home to Boston, Massachusetts.
In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as a 'wrongfully detained' person on March 19. Chen was reportedly the only one among more than 10 Americans detained in China to receive that designation.
Chen was indicted on espionage charges in May last year, but has not yet gone to trial. His family fears he could face anything from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
In the United States, some analysts have suggested that China may be trying to use Chen's expertise related to North Korea's nuclear tests to help conceal underground nuclear testing.
As a seismologist, Chen has studied the detection of North Korea's nuclear tests. In December 2020, he published a paper analyzing how to distinguish between waves caused by natural earthquakes and those generated by North Korea's nuclear tests. The paper was supported by the State Department's Arms Control Bureau and carried the phrase, "Approved for public release."
In February, the Trump administration accused China of using an underground nuclear test in June 2020 to reduce the strength of shock waves. China denied that it had conducted any nuclear test.
Chen's detention could become a point of conflict in U.S.-China relations, which have been focused on "strategic stability." Because he studied North Korea's nuclear tests, his release could also indirectly provoke Pyongyang.
Trump reportedly asked Xi for Chen's release during his visit to China in May, and Xi said he would review the request. Xi is scheduled to visit the United States in September, and if no action is taken by then, Trump is likely to raise Chen's release again.
Chen's family said, "The Trump administration kept his detention secret, hoping to secure his release through high-level negotiations."
Chen was reportedly forced to sit on a hard chair all day during the early days of his detention, unable to stand or exercise. His family claimed, "He could not obtain even the medication he needed, including diabetes medicine, and as a result he lost 18 kilograms."
The family said, "Chen has been interrogated more than 100 times so far, and even when the U.S. consul visits him, Chinese officials are present, making it impossible for him to speak freely."
[email protected] Hong Chaewan Reporter