"Please Sit on the Toilet Seat" Plea from Incheon Airport, Here's Why

Some Foreign Tourists Climb Onto Toilets to Use Them
Presumed to Mainly Use Traditional Toilets
Hygiene Concerns Lead to Reluctance... Environmental Cleaners Face Difficulties

"Please sit on the toilet seat when using it."

As foreign tourists visiting Korea increase with the COVID-19 endemic, a unique restroom notice at the first gateway, Incheon International Airport, has become a hot topic.

According to SBS and others on the 25th, recently, a notice saying "Do not stand on the toilet seat" along with an intuitive illustration was posted in the restrooms at Incheon International Airport. The notice is reportedly written in four languages: Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese.

[Photo by SBS]

Contrary to the assumption that "sitting on the toilet seat is obvious," many foreign tourists are said to use the toilet while standing on the seat with their feet.

In particular, it is reported that many users arriving from countries where traditional squat toilets are common tend to stand on the toilet seat in the restrooms of Terminal 1.

Also, some people who are reluctant to sit where others' bodies have touched are presumed to use the toilet by standing on the seat.

As a result, not only have other users felt discomfort, but cleaning staff have also faced difficulties, leading to the appearance of such notices.

It is said that this is more than a simple cultural difference, as staff are reportedly sweating profusely wiping and washing all the toilet covers by hand. Additionally, urine splashing around the toilet causes unpleasant odors.

For these reasons, some domestic airports have installed facilities where pressing a button replaces the toilet seat cover with a new plastic film, but standing on the toilet seat remains a chronic problem.

Meanwhile, while most public restrooms in Korea are of high quality and cleanliness, in other countries, restrooms with adequate hygiene standards are often paid facilities. It is common for restroom cleanliness in Asian countries as well as developed countries like the United States and France to fall short of expectations.

In Russia, it was pointed out in 2021 that about 30 million people live with the inconvenience of using traditional squat toilets due to the lack of a proper central sewage treatment system.