Korean public toilets are usually much cleaner than the rest of Asia, with
the exception of Japan, and there is a law that states that all buildings
above a certain size must have their toilets open and easily accessible
to the public, so you will usually be able to find one. Whether you will
want to use it is another matter!
In rural areas and in older buildings, toilet facilities are often shared.
It can be quite disconcerting if you are a women and walk in to find a
line of men at a urinal, and it¡¯s just as disconcerting for the guys!
Most Korean women will usually wait until the men have left because of
this.
If there are separate facilities for men and women, there will rarely
be any sort of screen or consideration given in the building layout to
shield the view urinal in the men¡¯s toilets, so be prepared! In either
men¡¯s or women¡¯s toilets, there will frequently be cleaning women splashing
a mop around your feet no matter what you¡¯re doing, although they won¡¯t
go so far as to bother you when you¡¯re already in a cubicle.
Remember to bring some paper or tissues with you as cubicles often won¡¯t
have any (there is often a dispenser close to the entrance for this, normally
costing 300won). Also, older buildings tend to have Asian squat-style
toilets, as in the picture, which we¡¯ll let you figure out how to use.
Most Westerners much prefer to use Western-style toilets, and fortunately
most modern buildings have these and new public-buildings have to by law.
You especially can¡¯t go wrong with modern department stores, with wonderful
clean Western-style public toilets probably nicer than the ones in your
apartment.
Finally, in the cubicles will be a small trash bin¡¦for throwing in used
toilet paper (folded!), and/or used pads and tampons, a Korean habit you
will probably find disgusting. Many Koreans do this at home also. Not
putting toilet paper into the toilet itself seems to be a hangover from
the days when Korean plumbing was much worse and it blocked the pipes,
but it¡¯s up to you if you decide to follow this Korean custom or not.
No-one will know either way!
Most Korean houses (not apartment buildings) have septic tanks rather
than being connected to the sewage system, so when your toilet does start
to block up it usually means that the septic tank is full and is happening
to everyone in else in the building as well, so the landlord has to arrange
for a truck (we¡¯ll let you decide on a name for these trucks) to come
and pump it all out. These trucks have bells that ring, possibly to warn
you that they¡¯re coming. Even Korean drivers will slow down to a civilized
speed if they see or hear one (see Driving), and the smell of the process
is pretty bad, so you might want to bring all your washing in, close all
the windows, and make yourself scarce for the duration.
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