Korea's Toilet Museum

During a recent daytrip to Suwon I visited a newly established museum called Mr Toilet House just on the outskirts of the city. This defecation-themed institute was built by Mr. Sim Jae-Duck - otherwise known as Mr Toilet - in 2007, to commemorate the establishment of the World Toilet Association which he helped to create. Supposedly born in his mother's outhouse, he dedicated his life to promoting the importance of the toilet not only for its role in public sanitation, but also as a place of contemplation and reflection. After his death in 2009, his surviving family donated his toilet bowl-shaped house to Suwon City, and the city now uses it as a museum and exhibition centre to pay tribute to Mr. Sim and his lifelong efforts to improve sanitation across the globe.

The house is a fairly small building with just a couple of floors.

Its toilet bowl shape becomes clearer when seen from above.

Mr Toilet himself, Sim Jae-Duck, accompanied by golden, snow-coated turd.

Inside the house were photos of public toilets in Korea before they were widely renovated during the 1960s and 1970s.

I really think this room would have looked better if Mr Sim were taking a leak into the toilet bowl.

International toilet symbols, apparently.

These are some entries for a "poop art" competition.

Out in the gardens behind the house are lots of sculptures relating to defecation.

Some very frosty squat toilets.

The Thinker. Or should I say...The Stinker?

If you're interested in visiting Mr Toilet House yourself, I recommend showing its Korean name - 해우재 - to a Suwon taxi driver, as the ride there is relatively inexpensive from the main train station.