VOL.72/2024.07

 

#Star

KPIPA Introduces K-Books for Global Publishing Markets through K-Book Platform

2024.07.01

 

ON STAR-KNITTING

1. Publication Details

 

Title | ON STAR-KNITTING
Author | Lee Yeongdo
Publisher | Minumsa Publishing
Publication Date | 2020-10-22
ISBN | 9791158887254
No. of pages | 288
Dimensions | 149 * 222

 

2. Book Intro

 

A great alien civilization visits Earth from the outer space. They call themselves “Pan-galactic Cultural Exchange Committee” and match the planet Earth with another civilization called Witan. In the title piece of this short story collection On Star-knitting, Witanians seek help from Earthians: they need to find someone who can read and make constellations. Since they don’t have astrology in their culture, they start to work with an Earthian astrologist who calls himself a star-knitter. A Witanian astronaut and the Earthian star-knitter navigate the galaxies to find the right stars to weave into a new “constellation of harmony” to stop a civil war within another planet. The author Lee Yeongdo, arguably the most renowned fantasy fiction writer in Korea, explores the realm of space opera in his first sci-fi short story collection, weaving the stories with different streaks of fantasy, sci-fi, romance, apocalypse narratives, and critique on modern society.
Starting from one of the most common existential and cosmic questions—are we alone in the universe?—, Lee guides us to the most intriguing and unexpected space where we can fully enjoy his unique imagination and storytelling that he has been well-known for. The collection includes four stories of “Witanian Series,” of which the first piece depicts the first joint project of Earthians and Witanians—exchanging their fairy tales. Earthians share Cinderella story with Witanians, while they send them a story called KAIWAPANDOM, whose title itself remains a mystery until the truth is revealed in the end. In this freakish yet fascinating future world, an AI robot reads about Jesus Christ and claims to seek redemption for itself, while the same human clones are produced again and again only to be killed in a different way each time. With bizarre and enthralling images such as snowfish that prey on humans and seeds that claim to bring the spring, these sci-fi stories lead us to ask further questions: If we are not alone in this universe, are the others our enemies or allies? Can we save our civilization from them? Or have we already been destroying ourselves? Can we write a new history of our own to become one meaningful piece of this vast universe?

 

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Star Fishing

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Star Fishing
Author | Kim Sangkeun
Publisher | SAKYEJUL PUBLISHING LTD.
Publication Date | 2019-04-22
ISBN | 9791160944600
No. of pages | 56
Dimensions | 202 * 295

 

2. Book Intro

 

Everybody probably heard about or imagined the rabbit living on the moon at least once in their childhood. Perhaps, this is why the rabbit in this book greets readers so warmly and intimately. Out of curiosity, the rabbit sends down a star to a child wearing bunny clothes and looking for a friend. The rabbit is like a cute, innocent child. Not only that, the rabbit is kind enough to run together around the star world as much as the child wants after they become friends. But then, the rabbit hugs each child as their eyes start to close and sends them to their houses without waking them up. At this moment, the rabbit even seems like a warm, dependable adult. Like a friend who stays with you and doesn’t say anything but knows your mind even if you don’t utter a word. The children who came up riding on the stars and left star signs are such friends for the rabbit. The rabbit sleeping underneath the star sign and the child sleeping while hugging the star. Falling asleep while remembering each other looks so cozy. A peaceful night has finally come. Everybody is asleep at night.

 

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Stars and Me

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Stars and Me
Author | Jung Jinho
Publisher | BIR Publishing Co., Ltd.
Publication Date | 2017-08-30
ISBN | 9788949101897
No. of pages |  60

 

2. Book Intro

 

My journey with the stars begins when the sun goes down.
In the dark of night, the main character rides his bicycle along the riverside. After a final flicker, the unreliable lamp on his bicycle finally gives out. But something’s different. The lamp is off, yet it’s brighter than ever. Stars! Thousands of stars. The stars shine brilliantly in the night sky, lighting his way. Wherever he goes, the stars follow. The starlight plays gleefully with fireflies in the grass but disappears whenever he rides by a street lamp. Startled by the light of an oncoming speeding train, the stars scatter, only to return like fireworks in the night sky. The night is dark, but he continues to ride without his bicycle lamp. In fact, he can ride with a sense of vigor never felt before. All thanks to the stars that keep him company. The longer he rides, the closer they become. The stars become his umbrella when it rains, pull the brakes when rushing downhill, and give him a nudge when climbing uphill.

 

A single action that changes the course of a day.
The flick of a light switch. A glance at the night sky. A kick on a bicycle pedal. Our daily routines can switch in an instant with a single gaze or action. When small choices accumulate, the overall shape of our lives can change. We normally think that only major life-changing decisions have consequential effects in our lives and give a lot of weight to such decisions. However, it’s the small, seemingly-insignificant choices that truly influence the value and beauty of our lives. When his bicycle lamp turns off, the protagonist in Stars and Me does not panic or fear for long. He just keeps riding. Some of us may turn around and return home without a guiding light, but others will keep moving forward. And they might just be greeted by the stars.

 

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We All Shine on Our Own Stars

 

Title | We All Shine on Our Own Stars
Subtitle | Life classes from Lee Kwang-Hyung, who nurtures your dreams.
Author | Lee Kwang-Hyung
Publisher | Influential Inc.
Publication Date | 2022-04-15
ISBN | 9791168340213
No. of pages | 300
Dimensions | 145 * 217

 

2. Book Intro

 

“Don’t try to be like others. Life is a journey of searching for your own star.”
Lee Kwang-Hyung, futurologist, and president of KAIST, offers a way to turn your dreams of today into the reality of tomorrow.
In life, you encounter a moment when you feel utterly hopeless. How comforting would it be to get advice from a “great elder” who has more life experience than you when you’re at such a difficult moment?
The author earned fame as the godfather of first-generation venture businesses by producing many talented first-generation venture entrepreneurs while working as a professor of computer science at KAIST and has made his dreams come true across various fields, including artificial intelligence, bio information, and futurology. As a person who has proven the power of pursuing one’s dreams by leading many students to realize their dreams and turning his own dreams into reality, the author says in this book: “Every star in the night sky has its own light. As do we. Don’t compare yourself to others or be swept up in competition and just follow your dreams. You shine the most only when you find your own unique light.” What he’s saying is that you can live as a singular star in the night sky if you delve into what you like most and what you can do best. That is why we should follow our dreams regardless of our age. His life philosophy, articulated in 12 subjects, will act as a guidepost for the youth who have yet to find their life’s goal and he also recommends useful guidelines for the older generations who are standing at the inflection point of life.

 

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If we look at the same star someday

1. Publication Details

 

Title | If we look at the same star someday
Author | Cha Inpyo, 9Jedit, Min Byoungkwon
Publisher | Answerkey
Publication Date | 2021-12-15
ISBN | 9791191061048
No. of pages | 240
Dimensions | 134 * 200

 

2. Book Intro

 

This is a story of Yong, the tiger hunter; Soon, the granddaughter of the village head; and Kazuo, a Japanese officer—and their eventful days in the Tiger Village located at the foot of Mount Baekdu in the 1930s. Yong is a quiet, honest boy who moved to the Tiger Village with his father to catch the white tiger that had killed his mother. He instantly falls in love with Soon, a bright, compassionate girl who looks after people even in a challenging environment. A pure love soon blossoms between them. Making unforgettable memories in the village with Soon and another innocent friend, Sniffler, Yong slowly opens up his heart. Meanwhile, Kazuo who came to Joseon after joining the army with sincere loyalty to his nation (Japan) undergoes a change in his mental state and experiences a severe inner conflict. His letter to his mother suggests his respect and love for his mother as well as a kind character. Seven years later, Soon is selected to be a comfort woman for the Japanese army, which immediately throws her peaceful life into danger. On the boundary between life and death, Yong devotes everything he has to save Soon, while Kazuo faces utter despair, feeling doubts over his country’s evil deeds. *Entangled in the whirlwind of history against their will, the choices the three characters each make show us ways to restore the good in human nature, which does not ignore others’ sadness and misfortune, and ways to overcome hardship through human love. It also encourages us to take a moment and think about what makes us human, and what it means to forgive and reconcile. The book conveys the author’s wish that in this world, where the weak coexist with the weak, people keep alive hope and have true respect for all life. This story of Soon, Yong, and Kazuo will make readers laugh, cry, and feel sad, but more importantly, it will go beyond such sadness or anguish to provide warm comfort and consolation that will relieve the pain and sadness by the time we finish the story.

 

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Searching for the Stars

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Searching for the Stars
Author | Kim Ji-yun
Publisher | DAEKYO
Publication Date | 2020-10-30
ISBN | 9788939571785
No. of pages | 32
Dimensions | 188 * 246

 

2. Book Intro

 

Searching for the Stars is a picture book containing a story to look for one’s own dreams, hopes, and oneself in one’s heart. The main character waits on a line to receive a star just like everybody else. However, the girl comes to make a different selection because of a sudden rail, and comes to go in a different direction from that of those people in the line. Then she starts to see things she couldn’t see when she was on the line. Thereby, this picture book sends a message that you can find happiness even if you don’t lead a life just like everybody else’s.

 

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Whoosh, a Shooting Star! The Sanitation Workers Are All Gone!

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Whoosh, a Shooting Star! The Sanitation Workers Are All Gone!
Author | Choi Eunok, im Jae-Hee
Publisher | Green Frog Publishing Co.
Publication Date | 2020-06-25
ISBN | 9791157820894
No. of pages | 84
Dimensions | 170 * 220

 

2. Book Intro

 

Donghun was forced to clean the classroom for a month after he ditched his turn to clean the classroom. Donghun relieves his stress by kicking and tearing at garbage bags on his way home, but he gets caught by a sanitation worker. At that moment, he catches sight of a shooting star and shouts, “Make all the sanitation workers disappear!”
But for some reason, the world changed in a really strange way. People threw their trash wherever they wanted, and they had no idea what a sanitation worker did. It was as if the world had returned to centuries ago when the concept of garbage was not what it is today. Back then, people threw trash everywhere, so the streets were full of litter. The city of London in the United Kingdom even instructed people not to throw their garbage out the window. Bugs and mice flourished and began to threaten human health. That’s when people naturally created the job of a sanitation worker.
The writer Choi Eunok, who has presented outrageous and interesting worlds of imagination with her works Children Stuck Tight to the Blackboard; Mong-mong, the Dog that Reads; and Choosing My Friend As I Please, portrays a world where memories of sanitation workers are sealed, showing us how the job of the sanitation worker was created and why they are essential. Her enjoyable sentences add to the reading pleasure.
The day Donghun made a wish upon a shooting star, he went to bed and when he woke up, a month had passed. The athletic meet, which he had been looking forward to, gets canceled because of the garbage that has covered the school playground. When Donghun wakes up the next morning, three months have passed. His best friend, Seojun’s grandmother is injured because of the mounds of garbage that have appeared here and there. The next day, when he wakes up, half a year has passed. The entire world is groaning from a virus that appeared because of the garbage. The fast-developing story shows the reader what would happen if sanitation workers disappeared, in a three-dimensional way according to the passage of time, helping readers become immersed in the story. Donghun, who is at the center of the story, is a daring boy who defies and argues with adults even though he has done wrong. The illustrator Kim Jaehee tickles the bellies of her readers with her original illustrations and their vivid expressions.

 

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Stars and Rabbits on the Moon

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Stars and Rabbits on the Moon
Author | Han Hojin
Publisher | KINDERLAND/BANDAL
Publication Date | 2019-06-14
ISBN | 9788956188348
No. of pages | 44
Dimensions | 260 * 237

 

2. Book Intro

 

Perhaps stars might get hungry.
Han Ho-jin, who creates stories based on a brilliant imagination, alludes to the world we live in through the story of a rabbit and the stars.
One day, rabbits on the moon realize some important things: First, thanks to the stars that shine on the moon, vegetables and fruits grow and live well on the moon. Second, they haven’t thought yet that stars might get hungry.
Stars and Rabbits on the Moon unfolds as an imaginative, creative story in an intriguing easy-to-read way. Let’s delve into this fascinating tale!

 

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An Alien Boy Living on Earth

1. Publication Details

 

Title | An Alien Boy Living on Earth
Author | Yang Sugeun, Guk Minji
Publisher | SAKYEJUL PUBLISHING LTD.
Publication Date | 2018-07-30
ISBN | 9791160943825
No. of pages | 132
Dimensions | 153 * 225

 

2. Book Intro

 

Gang Chandeul came from the galaxy Andromeda, 200 light years away from Earth, but nobody knows this. Andromeda is the perfect world for children, with no horrible scolding from mom, heavy school bags, or boring school homework. Every day, without exception, Chandeul closes his eyes and sends the same message to Andromeda by telepathy: “Please let me leave Earth and go back to Andromeda as soon as possible.” It’s already been 12 years since he came to Earth... but no one has answered his message. The author wrote many play scripts before An Alien Boy Living on Earth, his first creative fairy tale, and that’s why every single sentence in the book feels so real, as if it’s part of a play. Together with the realistic story, unique characters and illustrations in warm colors make the book even more complete and funny.

 

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Jeon Jaegyu, the Scientist who Became a Star of the Antarctic

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Jeon Jaegyu, the Scientist who Became a Star of the Antarctic
Author | Jun Sinae, Lee Sangkwon
Publisher | Chungaram media
Publication Date | 2013-06-28
ISBN | 9788997162413
No. of pages | 156
Dimensions | 188 * 246

 

2. Book Intro

 

The Republic of Korea has become the ninth nation to possess more than two stations in the Antarctic, and these stations are equipped with an icebreaker made with the country’s own technology. It is thanks to the scientist Jeon Jaegyu that there have been such great changes in the polar science of the Antarctic in South Korea. Jeon Jaegyu died not while studying but while rescuing others, and his death has resulted in numerous changes in the nation’s polar science.
This book illuminates the life of Jeon Jaegyu, from the time he was an amateur astronomer boy in Yeongwol before growing up into a scientist and the conflicts he experienced while taking his career into pure science to the time he ventured into the Antarctic with undying morale as a scientist fighting against the harsh environment.
Although he lived a short life of only for 28 years, the sacrifice and camaraderie shown by Jeon let us know that the greatest values in the development of science are “humans” and “humanity.” As we follow the story, we get a glimpse of his passion, concerns, and conflicts as a pure scientist as well as the dreams that he never gave up. Also, the general scientific knowledge and information that are interwoven into the story will arouse each young reader’s interest in science in both the Antarctic and and the universe itself.
The latter part of the book contains an explanation and illustrations that help the next generation of our society understand the location of the Antarctic and the Arctic stations, how to get there, what is done in them, and the importance of the polar regions as stages of future science. Jeon Jaegyu has become a star of the Antarctic that protects the King Sejong Station. As long as our children remember his soul, which can make the coldest place on the planet with humanity warmer than the light of a star, then the future of our science will be promising.

 

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