He was born in a toilet and now he plans to live and die in one. Sim Jae-duck (74) tore down his former home in Suwon, South Korea, to build a US$ 1.1 million (EUR 750,000) two-storey “Toilet House” to spread awareness about the importance of toilet hygiene and sanitation. Visitors can spend the night in the house if they donate US$ 50,000 (EUR 34,000) to the World Toilet Association (WTA) of which Sim Jae-duck is chairman. Called 'Haewoojae', which means 'a place where one can solve one's worries', the house was unveiled on the eve of the inaugural meeting of the World Toilet Association General Assembly (WTAA) which was held from 21-25 November 2007 in Seoul.

Sim Jae-duck was born in a public toilet, because his mother followed the traditional belief and advice of his grandmother that people born in restrooms will enjoy long lives. As mayor of Suwon from 1995-2002 he launched a campaign to transform public toilets into "clean and beautiful resting places imbued with culture''. In 1999 he launched the Korea Toilet Association and now he is taking his clean toilets drive worldwide through the WTA.

To see a video on the "Toilet House" go here

Web site: World Toilet Association

Source: Lynette Lee Corporal, IPS, 19 Nov 2007 : Lim Chang-Won, AFP / news.com.au, 11 Nov 2007

Tags: information and communication, on-site sanitation