South Korean Toilet Theme Park

If there’s one thing that South Korea seems to give Japan a run for its money on, it’s the creation of some truly interesting tourist attractions.  The latest is certainly no exception, as the city of Suwon, just south of the country’s capital, is host to a toilet theme park.  It is an attraction devoted to all things toilet, put together and opened recently.  It also happens to be the only such theme park in the entire world - go figure.

The park’s origins come from a former mayor of the town.  In the 80s, one of his chief campaign promises when he was running for his office was to take care of the then-appalling toilet situation in the city.  Apparently these issues must have been huge, considering the level of fame he’s achieved because of his devotion to them.  According to legend, the man was born in his grandmother’s bathroom, which, I suppose, means that he was literally born into the trade. 

His attention to toilets in the world was so involved that he even founded the World Toiler Association (WTA), an organization dedicated to helping spread cleaner sanitation. Furthermore, he decided to build his own home in an architectural design that could only be described as… a toilet.

The central attraction of this theme park is the large, toilet-shaped building in the middle that used to be the mayor’s home.  Originally, they tried to rent the place out at an amazing $50,000 a night in order to raise charity money for the WTA, but they didn’t have enough interest.  So now it holds an exhibition of toilet art and informative displays.

And though the theme of the park may seem a bit odd and even somewhat hilarious, the message behind the park isn't  Those involved are focused on raising awareness about the evolution of the toilet and how it has shaped society. They also wish to let people know about the lack of proper sanitation in developing countries and the inevitable disease that it creates. 

Further, they teach us about the profound cultural effect that toilets have had on us throughout history.  While I can’t argue with them on that count - many people have their best ideas while on the toilet - personally I’m a shower-idea guy.  Maybe a shower theme park is in order as well?

ToiletPark photos courtesy of kotaku.com