[Interview] Park Myeong-chan, CEO of UMED Co., Ltd.

CES 2026 in Las Vegas, USA—a stage previewing future trends in global information technology (IT) and home appliances. Here, a startup from South Korea's Gyeongsangnam-do delivered exciting news. UMED Inc., a digital healthcare company specializing in urology, captured the world's attention by winning the 'CES Innovation Awards'.

UMED clearly demonstrated how rigorous clinical experience, when combined with advanced technology, can resonate globally. We met CEO Myungchan Park—Professor of Urology at Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital turned global innovator—to hear about the driving force behind Korea’s digital healthcare success that impressed Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, UMED was selected for the '2025 Gyeongnam-style Startup Acceleration Program,' hosted by Gyeongsangnam-do Province and organized by the Gyeongnam Creative Economy Innovation Center. Through BT Ventures Co., Ltd., the program's operating company, UMED received comprehensive support for its scale-up process, including mentoring and consulting.

■The value of innovation recognized worldwide: Conquering CES 2026

The CES Innovation Awards are widely regarded as the 'Oscars of technology,' selected by a panel of global technology experts, media, and designers who rigorously evaluate products based on innovation, engineering prowess, design, and usability.

UMED's 'UroRinse Light' proudly secured a spot on the award list in the digital health category. Notably, it earned the honor of being displayed separately in the 'Innovation Awards Showcase' hall—reserved exclusively for Innovation Award-winning companies—alongside the Eureka Park exhibition where thousands of global companies compete fiercely.

When I first heard the news of the award, the past five years spent shuttling between the lab and the hospital flashed before my eyes like a reel of film. What pleased me most was that the value of our technology was recognized in the somewhat neglected field of urology. It meant our product had been officially acknowledged on the global stage as capable of safeguarding the health and dignity of people worldwide.

■"A Doctor's Powerlessness Becomes the Seed of Innovation"

CEO Park Myeong-chan didn't ride the turbulent waves of entrepreneurship for grand business success. It was because of the silent cries of the patients he encountered every day.

As a professor of urology, he witnessed a glaring contradiction over the course of more than a decade caring for patients. Patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infections would receive treatment, improve, and be discharged, only to be rushed back to the emergency room shortly afterward with high fever and pain.

"While thorough management is possible within the hospital, it ceases the moment a patient steps outside its doors. Witnessing patients who returned to nursing facilities or their homes suffering from blocked catheters or infections left me feeling profoundly helpless as a doctor. These were problems technology could easily solve, yet the field remained stuck in decades-old practices. Ultimately, I had no choice but to step in myself."

His decision led to the founding of Umed in 2020, and the vision of 'Urological Healthcare for All' thus took root from the deficiencies observed in the field.

■ From Hospital-Confined Care to Everyday Life

As our society rapidly ages, urological diseases have emerged as a universal social issue rather than a problem affecting only a specific minority. The number of patients with urinary disorders in Korea was estimated at approximately 750,000 in 2021, and this demographic shift has led to a sharp increase in recent years.

Many of them must live with a urinary catheter for life and accept recurrent urinary tract infections occurring two to three times a year or more as their fate.

Infection is not merely a matter of fever. It is a life-threatening condition that can lead to sepsis, and repeated antibiotic prescriptions invite another catastrophe: resistance. In the United States, astronomical healthcare costs exceeding $45 billion annually are poured into managing these infections, yet patients' individual lives are left devastated.

CEO Park focused on transforming care that was previously only possible in hospitals into care that could be provided anywhere to solve this problem.

■UroRines Light: Overwhelming Technology That Captured CES's Attention

The CES Innovation Awards judges awarded Umed high marks due to the disruptive potential of its 'UroRinse Light'.

Previously, bladder irrigation required nurses to manually perform the procedure using syringes. This process carried a high risk of contamination and, given the current shortage of nursing staff, created a significant workload burden.

UMEd has completely transformed this process into a closed-loop automatic circulation system. Multiple sensors detect the inflow and outflow of the cleaning solution in real time, gently flushing the bladder using an optimized algorithm.

What once took medical staff an hour to complete now takes just 10 minutes. It's like trading the time spent waiting for a rural intercity bus for the time spent waiting for a subway in a big city.

The areas we focused on most were safety and intuitiveness. Even in homes without professional medical staff, patients needed to be able to safely complete the cleansing process themselves with just one button. While my colleagues congratulated me when the preclinical results were published in the world-renowned journal 'Urology,' winning this CES Innovation Award feels like the global IT giants applauding our technological perfection.

This system received certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in October 2025 and is now serving as a key weapon in reducing infection rates across various clinical settings, including urology, neurology, and nephrology.

■AI Platform 'UroXpert™', Driving Digital Transformation in Urology

UMED's innovation doesn't stop at hardware. The future they present at CES is their leap toward becoming a data-driven urology platform company. At its core lies UroXpert™, powered by generative AI.

UroXpert™ lowers psychological barriers for patients and provides accessible, accurate urological information.

Furthermore, the UroXpert™ platform is not limited to Umed's devices.

By integrating data from various urological diagnostic and monitoring smart devices, including UroRinse, it enables AI-powered diagnostic assistance for medical professionals and personalized urological health management for patients and caregivers. This allows Umed to expand into a comprehensive urological platform encompassing not only inpatients but also outpatients and everyone requiring preventive care.

■Technology Blooming in Gyeongnam to Comfort the World

Behind UMED's successful global expansion lay the steadfast support of the local community. Its operating company, BTV Ventures, and the Gyeongnam Creative Economy Innovation Center contributed to strengthening its IR capabilities and establishing market entry strategies, enabling UMED to prove its value on the global stage.

Based on this support, UMED secured approximately 3 billion won in cumulative funding through seed investment and government-supported projects, enabling it to establish a foundation for technology development and market entry.

Currently, UMED is steadily executing a solid roadmap toward an IPO through additional investment attraction and a phased growth strategy, and is accelerating preparations to leap forward as a global urology platform company.

CEO Park has a deep affection for the local community. His decision to base the company in Gimhae stems from a desire to prove that local talent can create world-class technology without having to head to the capital region.

Urological health is a fundamental right and dignity that cannot be relinquished until the moment of death. I hope the talented individuals in our region will become the driving force in realizing this noble value. The path UMED walks is not merely about pursuing profit. It is about helping each patient live more comfortably.

Concluding the interview, Park advised aspiring entrepreneurs to “start from the patient’s perspective.” More important than dazzling technology is the genuine desire to change lives.

CEO Park Myeong-chan, who chose the arduous path of entrepreneurship rather than resting on his laurels as a distinguished specialist. The CES Innovation Award trophy he secured was more than just an accolade; it was a signal flare proclaiming that South Korean technology is rewriting the global sanitation map.

The era of "care beyond treatment" pioneered by UMED is unfolding, and at the heart of this warm innovation, the future of Gyeongnam is advancing alongside it.