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From Spy to Scholar: Journey of Jeong Su-il and the Silk Road

夏燕文  2025年03月02日 20:13 北京

Monday, March 3, 2025

Today, I begin my exploration of the Silk Road. But before diving in, I want to share something that caught my attention recently.

On March 1, The New York Times published an article with an intriguing question: "Why Can a Chinese Gadget Company Make an Electric Car When Apple Can't?" The so-called "gadget company" in question? Xiaomi. And indeed, who wouldn’t be curious to know the answer?

"After nearly a decade of trying, Apple finally gave up its effort to produce an electric car last year, canceling a project that soaked up $10 billion.

But last year in China, the no-name gadget maker Xiaomi  launched its first electric car after just three years of development and delivered 135,000 vehicles, determined to double that number in 2025."

What most Western media fail to grasp is that China has built a complete production ecosystem—not merely an assembly line, as commonly assumed.

Now, back to the Silk Road. On February 24, 2025, just as I was beginning to delve into this topic, I stumbled upon an unexpected piece of news: the passing of a leading scholar of the Silk Road, Jeong Su-il (郑守一) His life story was as remarkable as the history he dedicated himself to studying:

"Once a deep-cover North Korean spy disguised as Lebanese national 'Muhammad Kansu,' Jeong Su-il ultimately found redemption in South Korea as a leading expert on the Silk Road."

Born in 1934 in Northeast China, Jeong graduated from Peking University before immigrating to North Korea in 1963. A decade later, in 1974, he was deployed as a North Korean spy under the alias Muhammad Kansu, operating in the Middle East. By 1984, he had settled in South Korea—still working for the North—until he was exposed in 1996. While in prison, he severed ties with North Korea and dedicated the remainder of his life to a singular pursuit: historical research and The Silk Road Encyclopedia.

Yet, despite his transformation, he was forever remembered first as a spy.

Why did he choose the Silk Road as his life's work? His past held the answer.

During his years as a spy, Jeong traveled extensively through the Middle East and North Africa, tracing the same routes that once carried goods, ideas, and cultures along the ancient Silk Road. This immersion in diverse civilizations ignited his passion for historical connections—a passion that would later define his scholarship.

His linguistic abilities further set him apart. Fluent in multiple languages, including Arabic, he accessed historical records and primary sources unavailable to most researchers, allowing him to carve out a unique niche in Silk Road studies.

Had he lived up to the meaning of his name from the start—守一 (Shǒu Yī, meaning "to uphold one")—perhaps his life would have taken a different course. In the end, he found his own way to honor that name—not through allegiance to one country, but through a lifelong pursuit of knowledge on one subject: the Silk Road, leaving behind a legacy that outlasts his past.

Link:

"Why a Chinese Gadget Company Can Make an Electric Car and Apple Can't".  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/business/china-xiaomi-apple-electric-cars.html 

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