Jung Soo-il, director of the Korean Civilization Exchange Research Institute (former professor at Dankook University) known as the undercover spy 'Muhammad Kansu,' passed away at the age of 91.

Jung Soo-il, the director of the Korean Institute for Civilizational Exchange, is speaking at a press conference for the publication of The Cradle of Civilization: Journey to Africa on Sep. 11, 2018. /Courtesy of Changbi Publishing

According to the Korean Civilization Exchange Research Institute on the 25th, Director Jung passed away the previous day.

Born in 1934 in Yanbian, China, the deceased left for Cairo, Egypt, in 1955 as a Chinese government-funded research student. They also worked at the Chinese embassy in Morocco and served as a researcher in Tunisia.

In 1963, the deceased crossed over to North Korea and engaged in espionage activities disguised as an Arab Filipino named Kansu. They were discovered by authorities in 1996, serving five years in prison for violating the National Security Law, and were released in 2000.

Afterward, the deceased became a globally recognized authority on Silk Road studies.

The funeral is set for the 27th.

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