"Special Science District Incident Response Team" is a children’s engineering‑themed story series that lets kids absorb science and engineering concepts naturally by following the deductive reasoning of the Incident Response Team. Clues to mysteries unfolding in the futuristic research hub “Special Science District” are always hidden within engineering itself.

Volume 1 features artificial‑intelligence‑related cases;
Volume 2 delves into pharmaceutical‑themed mysteries;
Volume 3 investigates diverse incidents centering on batteries. Readers organically pick up concepts including artificial intelligence, bioengineering, and battery engineering.

Further volumes “Environmental Engineering” and “Robotics Engineering” are in the planning stage.

If science is the discipline that uncovers facts, engineering is the field that builds technologies based on that knowledge. Today, engineering is deeply intertwined with everyday life and has become a fundamental domain that everyone ought to understand. The "Special Science District Incident Response Team" series gently guides children into the world of engineering technologies —‑ its past, present, and future.

Eighteen keyword‑focused comic strips woven throughout the narrative explain scientific and engineering concepts in an accessible, entertaining way. Covering topics ranging from the distinction between science and engineering, to algorithms, how artificial intelligence learns, and the differences between robots and AI, every theme is presented at children’s level of comprehension. Through expressive faces and lively gestures, the main‑story characters cleverly illustrate key learning terms, making scientific and engineering ideas feel approachable and easy to grasp.

This book was reviewed and supervised by Dr. Kim Ik‑jae, Director of the AI & Robotics Research Institute at KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), a leading domestic authority in artificial intelligence and robotics, who elevated the overall quality of the work. He also took part in selecting key learning keywords to help children understand AI accurately and effortlessly. Dr. Kim was named among the “Top 100 Future‑Shaping Technologies and Leaders of Korea” selected by the National Academy of Engineering of Korea. He also received the **2022 Young Engineer Award** from the same academy in recognition of his contributions to advancing forensic‑science capabilities.

Immersed in the puzzle‑solving journey, children gain not only science‑engineering knowledge but also critical‑thinking skills for identifying and solving problems. Moreover, by watching young junior engineers stumble their way toward cracking cases, young readers learn to appreciate values such as cooperation, friendship and compassion.

Seon Ja‑eun (Author, text)

I studied humanities at undergraduate and graduate university levels, and explored human psychology through a children’s‑book writers’ workshop. I love mystery stories and constantly draw on my imagination to become an engaging storyteller.

My publications include the picture books “Dali’s Chuseok Celebration” and “The Little Haenyeo and the Sea‑Grandmother”; children’s stories “Memory of That Day”, the “Magic Forest Detective” series, and “Haida the Next‑Door Profiler: Case Files”; as well as the young‑adult fiction series “Girl Ghost Detective”, and the standalone title “39 kg”, among many others.

Awards: 2010 Sallim Youth Literature Award

Song Hyo‑jeong (Illustrator)

I majored in Fine Arts at Ewha Womans University and further studied illustration and picture‑book creation at Hills. Through whimsical, entertaining and beautiful artwork, I hope to offer encouragement to both children and adults.

Books I have illustrated include “The Legendary Bean Magistrate”, “Talk: Seek Truth, Not Gossip”, “This Future Might Really Come: Preview of the World Ten Years From Now”, “The Last Day of Baekje”,“Oh, My Dalgona” ,“Tivoli Starting Today!” ,“Goya the Prophet” , the “Ghost‑Friendly Forest Ramen Shop” series, the “Skill Detective Agency” series, and the “Little Gifted Ones” series.

Dr. Kim Ik‑jae (Supervisor / Technical Reviewer)

He earned his doctorate from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University. Following post‑doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he currently serves as Director of the AI & Robotics Research Institute at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

He received the 2022 Young Engineer Award from the National Academy of Engineering of Korea for advancing forensic‑investigation capabilities by developing technologies such as 3D‑montage reconstruction and facial recognition. He has also been selected for the list of “Top 100 Future‑Shaping Technologies and Leaders of the Republic of Korea”. His research aims to build a safer, more convenient society through artificial‑intelligence and robotics technologies.

The Legendary Incident Response Team Appears
Artificial Intelligence / Natural‑Language Processing / Science and Engineering / Sensors / Algorithms

AI “Hello”
Generative Artificial Intelligence / Deepfake / Big Data / Laws of Robotics / AI in Movies / AI Ethics

Find the Teacher!
Artificial Neural Networks / Deep Learning / Information‑Security Technology / How AI Learns / What If AI Learns Incorrectly?

A New Dream
Moravec’s Paradox / Robots and Artificial Intelligence