"Inspector?"

Vinod nodded.

"This is Dave from the INS. We got a call from the Seoul police today. They have this murder case wrapped up, but are doing a final check. They want us to check on a Mr.Park. We thought that it would be wise to run him by you before we let him go."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

The guards at the gates of the INS building clicked their heels and saluted when they saw Inspector Vinod approach the tall, icy looking towers. He nodded curtly and made his way to the dark interrogation room.

He saw two INS officers, a Korean man and a file on a desk. He knew what he had to do. He went to the file and started reading it.

"North or South?" he asked.

"South Korean, Mr. Park. Mr. Park, this is Inspector Vinod."

"How can this dude see through those dark glasses?" Mr. Park wondered aloud.

"Hope for your sake that I never remove these glasses, Mr. Park," said Inspector Vinod. The INS officers nodded knowingly. For Inspector Vinod only removed his glasses, when he had solved a case. Legend had it that he did it so that he could look into the eyes of the criminal and make him confess.

"Well Inspector," said the officer. "We won't keep you for long. Its an open and shut case, or at least seems that way. Mr. Park was visiting his family in Seoul two weeks ago. His father was found murdered in the living room. When the police arrived they saw Mr. Park's brother sitting on the carpet with a dazed look and with a knife in his hand. He has been mentally ill since early childhood and they reckon that he committed the murder in the midst of one of his fits."

"Was there any will left behind?"

"Yes, all the money was left to Mr. Park here. Makes sense, when you consider his brother's condition."

"Was everything all right between your father and yourself Mr. Park?" Inspector Vinod asked.

"Yes, he was slightly upset when I left him to come to America. But that was long ago. You know how quickly parents forget and forgive".

Inspector Vinod grimaced as he thought of his father. "Where were you on the day of the murder?"

"I had gone visiting the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. You know the new tourist destination in North Korea, financed by Hyundai?"

"Yes? And what time did you leave?I think the only way you can get there is by boat."

"Oh, yes, I was out after 1:00 p.m. I caught the second boat out."

"I place you under arrest for the murder of your father, Mr. Park." Inspector Vinod removed his glasses. Mr. Park quivered as he stared into Inspector Vinod's eyes. They changed color, from brown to gray to Nordic blue and shape as they appeared Japanese at times and Canadian at others. Mr. Park broke down. "I did it! I did it! But how did you know?"

How did Inspector Vinod know?

Because of his stupendous knowledge of world history.

Inspector Vinod put his sunglasses back on. Consider the facts, he said:

"1. North Korea and South Korea have been at war for a long time

2. The South Korean Leader Kim Dae-Jung came to power on a "sunshine policy if engagement" with his brothers in the North.

3. The Kumgang resort in North Korea was opened up as the first tourist attraction in the North and financed by the South Korean company Hyundai.

4. Far from bringing the neighbors closer together, it has created another dispute. Profits have been low and because of the extremely low number of travelers, Hyundai has been forced to cut down from four boats a day to just one.

5. So there is no way Mr. Park could have taken the second boat."

"He is not only a bad liar. He is a bad son." Inspector Vinod shook his head.

"If you guys at INS want to learn more about this, check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_633000/633784.stm," said Inspector Vinod as he threw out a URL in that manner, so peculiar to him. "It is a shame when people similar to each other in so many ways fight."

He felt his way out of the room and closed the door.

The End

CIA World Factbook - South Korea

CIA World Factbook - North Korea