Grand Prize at the 5th National Startup Competition for Students with and without Disabilities / Students from the Kookmin University–Ewha Womans University Joint Team
- 26.03.23 / 홍유민
Students from Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) have proudly claimed the top spot at a national competition with an innovative startup idea that breaks down the barriers between people with and without disabilities.
On February 19, at the Songdo Central Park Hotel in Incheon, the “5th National Startup Competition for University and Graduate Students with and without Disabilities,” the joint team from Kookmin University and Ewha Womans University, “Yeopbaragi Team,” claimed the prestigious Grand Prize (Minister of Education Award).
A total of 262 participants from 72 universities across the country competed fiercely in this event. Organized as part of the “Youth with Disabilities Startup Sharing University” initiative, the competition was co-hosted by 12 regional national universities and supported by the Ministry of Education, the Korea Startup Promotion Agency, and the Comprehensive Support Center for Enterprises with Disabilities. Additionally, 44 partner universities and companies such as Shinhan Bank, Kakao, and T-Money participated, further enhancing the significance of the event.
The Grand Prize-winning team, “Yeopbaragi,” is a joint team consisting of Yoo Su-ah (Mobility Power Electronics Convergence, Class of ’24), Kang Tae-hyun (Artificial Intelligence, Class of ’24), and Kim Jong-min (AI Big Data Convergence Management, Class of ’19) from Kookmin University, along with Chae Yoon-hee (Chemical and New Materials Engineering, Class of ’23) and Jeong Yu-bin (Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, Class of ’24) from Ewha Womans University. Drawing on their respective academic expertise, they organically integrated planning, hardware design, software development, and user experience design to complete the project. By demonstrating a wearable neckband device designed to minimize blind spots while walking, they proved the technical feasibility and commercial potential of a next-generation walking assistance solution for people with low vision.
In particular, this idea received high praise from the judges for embodying the philosophy of “appropriate technology,” which considers the actual environment and economic accessibility of the end-users—people with disabilities—rather than focusing solely on cutting-edge technology. It was evaluated as having secured both technological innovation and public benefit by implementing a practical design that users can easily maintain and use in their daily lives, rather than relying on flashy, high-specification technology.
The team received the highest score among the 20 finalists nationwide, winning the Grand Prize—the Minister of Education Award—along with a cash prize of 3 million won. The winning team will also receive practical follow-up benefits, such as exemption from document screening when participating in future startup support programs offered by the Korea Institute of Startup Promotion or the Comprehensive Support Center for Enterprises with Disabled Employees.
The team plans to use this award as an opportunity to further refine the prototype and systematically ensure the product’s reliability through user clinical testing and data-driven performance verification. Furthermore, building on this experience, they expressed their ambition to help create a society that supports the many socially vulnerable groups who are currently marginalized in our daily lives.
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This content is translated from Korean to English using the AI translation service DeepL and may contain translation errors such as jargon/pronouns. If you find any, please send your feedback to kookminpr@kookmin.ac.kr so we can correct them.
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Grand Prize at the 5th National Startup Competition for Students with and without Disabilities / Students from the Kookmin University–Ewha Womans University Joint Team |
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2026-03-23
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Students from Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) have proudly claimed the top spot at a national competition with an innovative startup idea that breaks down the barriers between people with and without disabilities. On February 19, at the Songdo Central Park Hotel in Incheon, the “5th National Startup Competition for University and Graduate Students with and without Disabilities,” the joint team from Kookmin University and Ewha Womans University, “Yeopbaragi Team,” claimed the prestigious Grand Prize (Minister of Education Award). A total of 262 participants from 72 universities across the country competed fiercely in this event. Organized as part of the “Youth with Disabilities Startup Sharing University” initiative, the competition was co-hosted by 12 regional national universities and supported by the Ministry of Education, the Korea Startup Promotion Agency, and the Comprehensive Support Center for Enterprises with Disabilities. Additionally, 44 partner universities and companies such as Shinhan Bank, Kakao, and T-Money participated, further enhancing the significance of the event. The Grand Prize-winning team, “Yeopbaragi,” is a joint team consisting of Yoo Su-ah (Mobility Power Electronics Convergence, Class of ’24), Kang Tae-hyun (Artificial Intelligence, Class of ’24), and Kim Jong-min (AI Big Data Convergence Management, Class of ’19) from Kookmin University, along with Chae Yoon-hee (Chemical and New Materials Engineering, Class of ’23) and Jeong Yu-bin (Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, Class of ’24) from Ewha Womans University. Drawing on their respective academic expertise, they organically integrated planning, hardware design, software development, and user experience design to complete the project. By demonstrating a wearable neckband device designed to minimize blind spots while walking, they proved the technical feasibility and commercial potential of a next-generation walking assistance solution for people with low vision. In particular, this idea received high praise from the judges for embodying the philosophy of “appropriate technology,” which considers the actual environment and economic accessibility of the end-users—people with disabilities—rather than focusing solely on cutting-edge technology. It was evaluated as having secured both technological innovation and public benefit by implementing a practical design that users can easily maintain and use in their daily lives, rather than relying on flashy, high-specification technology. The team received the highest score among the 20 finalists nationwide, winning the Grand Prize—the Minister of Education Award—along with a cash prize of 3 million won. The winning team will also receive practical follow-up benefits, such as exemption from document screening when participating in future startup support programs offered by the Korea Institute of Startup Promotion or the Comprehensive Support Center for Enterprises with Disabled Employees. The team plans to use this award as an opportunity to further refine the prototype and systematically ensure the product’s reliability through user clinical testing and data-driven performance verification. Furthermore, building on this experience, they expressed their ambition to help create a society that supports the many socially vulnerable groups who are currently marginalized in our daily lives.
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