Mr. Toilet's house opens in South Korea

Nov 10, 2007, from AFP

SEOUL (AFP) — A South Korean lawmaker and public hygiene activist on Sunday opened his 1.6 million dollar toilet-shaped showcase house designed to campaign for cleaner loos worldwide.

The two-storey home, complete with a nameplate reading "Mr. Toilet's House", is now ready to be occupied, according to owner Sim Jae-Duck.

Billed as the world's only toilet house, the 419-square-metre (4,508-sq-foot) concrete and glass structure rose on the site of Sim's former home in Suweon, 40 kilometres (24 miles) south of Seoul.

Sim, 74, who told AFP last month that his mother gave him birth in a bathroom, has actively campaigned for "clean and beautiful" toilets since his service as Suweon mayor from 1995-2002.

His campaign has since turned many of public restrooms nationwide into facilities boasting paintings, fresh flowers or even small gardens.

Sim's house was completed before the Korea Toilet Association, which he funds, holds a forum in Seoul later this month to launch the World Toilet Association to take his campaign worldwide.

Before Sim's family moves in, he plans to rent out the residence for 50,000 dollars a day -- with proceeds going towards providing poor countries with proper sanitary facilities.

In the centre of the house is a glass-walled bathroom which features a device producing mist to make sure users do not feel too exposed. The loo's lid is raised automatically and music is also turned on when people enter.

The house, which has a stream and small garden in front, is nicknamed in Korean "Haewoojae," meaning "a place of sanctuary where one can solve one's worries."

Sim says 2.6 billion people still live without toilets worldwide.