SOUTH KOREA: &#39Toilet Training&#39 for Adults Underway

Lynette Lee Corporal

SUWON, South Korea, Nov 13 2007 (IPS) – Move over toddlers, adults need to be potty-trained too.

The Jangan park public toilet in Suwon has automatic doors and uses solar power. Credit: Lynette Lee Corporal

One would think that, since this is the 21st century, toilets and sanitation are no longer major concerns in most countries. But addressing this basic need aggressively remains a must since the United Nations says that 2.6 billion people 980 million of whom are children are still living with poor sanitation facilities or none at all. Thus, it is high time for a whole new and advanced level of toilet training.

Leading the way in what is now being referred to as a #39toilet revolution #39, South Korea has taken the initiative to reorient people to the true essence of a toilet beyond the physical act of relieving oneself and that is for it to be a place of rest and relaxation, which proponents say can result in a happy and healthy disposition.

But, for these goals to be achieved, a massive awareness and educational campaign needs to be done, especially in countries where a lot of people lack basic toilet sanitation. Sustainable toilet infrastructures also need to be built in these areas, and be properly and consistently maintained for this #39revolution #39 to succeed.

These goals, along with other basic sanitation issues, will be discussed and debated at the upcoming World Toilet Association General Assembly (WTAA), to be held from Nov. 21 to 25 in Seoul, South Korea. Coinciding with the general assembly is the launch of the 2008 International Year of Sanitation.

So far, 67 countries are expected to attend the assembly, with 21 coming from Asia, 14 from central, south and north America, 13 from Africa, eight from Europe and six from the Middle East.
The landmark event will be hosted by South Korea #39s Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs and the Korea Toilet Association, and is organised by the Organising Committee for the Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association, led by its chairman Sim Jae-Duck.

A member of the South Korea #39s National Assembly, Rep. Sim Jae-Duck, is also the man behind the Haewoojae toilet house, a pioneer toilet bowl-shaped structure in Suwon that is expected to jumpstart the WTAA #39s Toilet for Humanity Campaign. Proceeds of this campaign will go to the cause of improving toilets worldwide.

According to WTAA organising committee secretary general Song Yong-Gon, discussions about toilets per se are still considered a private matter, and so it is often said that they should not be talked about in the open. Always related to the physical act of relieving oneself, toilets public toilets in particular have acquired an unhealthy reputation and its original purpose of being #39a place of comfort #39 lost amid the grime and dirt brought on by years of neglect.

Majority of people in developed and developing countries, young and old, don #39t like to talk about toilet matters even in their houses. I think it #39s time we start talking about these issues, and to recognise and acknowledge the problem because this is the first step to solving it, he said.

Changing one #39s personal perception about toilet and related issues, continued the secretary general, will eventually lead to a worldwide movement that is expected to flush out serious sanitation problems that contribute to larger health and environmental concerns.

We in the WTAA believe that each person has the right to clean toilet facilities, even the most basic. It #39s just a question of whether or not everyone is willing to help and join hands to make this goal a reality, said Kim Woo-Tae, director general for the WTAA #39s external affairs bureau.

It helps a lot that the United Nations and its satellite agencies are taking the lead in promoting health and sanitation issues, as part of the Millennium Development Goals programme. Under the MDG targets, the half of the world s population that does not have access to basic sanitation, should be reduced to a quarter by 2015.

Taking such big goals onto more practical and concrete levels, the WTAA has decided to focus on toilet issues specifically.

Kim Woo-Tae said that the WTAA will be the perfect venue for toilet associations in each of the participant country to sit down and deal with their pressing problems in delivering this very basic need to their communities. We will encourage them to coordinate closely with each other and will be enjoined to implement their goals, he said.

Now, the #39toilet training #39 will not only concentrate on the community members who will be directly benefiting from the project. Kim Woo-Tae also emphasised that they will be providing education and awareness campaigns, as well as training, to local government officials in participating countries.

WTAA consultant Yoon Seoyeon also said that a huge awareness and educational campaign is in the works. In South Korea alone, she says, promotional materials such as stickers are being distributed all over.

For many years now, South Korea has been very active in giving the public toilets they can be proud of and find comfort in. Indeed, a quick tour of public toilets in the country reveals sparkling clean toilets that can give some privately-owned toilets a run for their money.

The Jangan Park toilet located here in Suwon City, 40 km from Seoul, for instance, is a delight to visit, both for toilet users and mere onlookers.

Although considered #39old #39 having been constructed almost a decade ago the toilet boasts spacious cubicles, each door equipped with electronic sensor that indicates whether it is occupied or not, an automatic door for the disabled, and classical music, to name a few. Posted outside the entrance are photos and contact information of those in-charge of keeping the toilet clean.

Designed by Prof. Jeon Yeong-Sang, the 81.4 sq.m. toilet, built like a traditional Korean-style house, was awarded a special prize for the 1999 Beautiful Toilet in South Korea .

I #39ve always believed that toilets can be self-sufficient and this toilet is a perfect example for this, as we have water recycling facilities and solar panels are installed to save on energy, Prof. Jeon told IPS.

Over at the Hwaseong-Haenggung Toilet, located in the world cultural heritage site of Hwaseong also in Suwon, is another user-friendly toilet that incorporates nature in its facilities. Female toilet users have a choice of either the modern toilet bowls or the squat-type urinals (as indicated by stickers outside each cubicle door). All cubicles have a #39garden view #39 via the huge glass windows. A spacious sitting lounge has a similar environs and, aided by nature and bird sounds, the whole toilet experience reaches new heights.

Song Yong-Gon, however, clarifies that toilets need not be high-tech to be able to serve its purpose. He said that the WTAA is not there to convert all toilets into modern facilities either.

We are not into the business of providing toilets per se. We #39re here to help communities, especially in developing countries, achieve basic sanitation needs, he said.

It #39s not really about the money or advanced toilet facilities. It #39s definitely not even about Koreans taking the initiative in this #39toilet revolution #39, explained Kim Woo-Tae. The WTAA #39s most important goal is for all of us to have a sense of community and purpose in helping each other, especially those who are in need of it, establish a most basic human right and that is having access to clean toilets.