U.S. Seismologist Visited China To Study North Korean Nuclear Tests. Now He Is Accused Of Spying And Faces Life In Prison

A Chinese-born U.S. citizen and seismologist faces spying charges in China for detecting and analyzing North Korean nuclear tests. Reuters reported that Youlin Chen, 54, has been detained for two years in China and is expected to be tried on spying charges, potentially facing life in prison. Eric Lebson, a former U.S. national security official whose hostage advocacy organization, Global Reach, is advising Chen’s family, told Reuters that Chen was employed as a U.S. government contractor. However, Lebson told the wire service that Chen did not have a security clearance, and he did not perform classified research. Rather, he researched…