In memory of Mr. Toilet

If there were managers like “Mr. Toilet” and the owner of the department store, the disaster could have been saved.

BAEK Il-HYUNThe author is the business news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo. The owner of a company with more than 1 trillion won ($748 million) in sales once cleaned the toilet at the workplace himself. He touched the flushing part of the toilet with his bare hands when he visited restrooms at the workplace.

“Only then can I check the condition accurately. When that part is smooth, cleaning has been properly done,” he said. “It could be inconvenient for me for a while, but the surest way to keep the workplace clean all the time is for the CEO to act.”

He added, “I had gone bankrupt in the past and had a hard time coming back. I adopted a habit of taking care of everything myself, including cleaning the toilet. I don’t want to fail twice.”

The owner of a department store and hotel also used to personally clean the 3,000-pyeong (106,750 square feet) area in front of the department store. When told it was inefficient for the CEO to sweep the floor when there is a role for the executive, he responded, “There is the broken windows theory. If you leave a broken window unfixed, people will think the building is not maintained, and cigarette butts will pile up. Then the area will turn into a crime zone. No work is trivial.”

The cases of the two owners are cited here because of the toilets at the 2023 World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum, which has become an international disgrace. Forty-three thousand people from 158 countries came to stay, and only 354 toilets were provided. The toilets were blocked and reeked and some countries withdrew early due to toilet and hygiene issues. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo personally cleaned the toilets on Aug. 4 and 6.

Some say that the condition of toilets reflects the level of the country. Koreans are embarrassed at the feeling that they suddenly became an underdeveloped country.

Originally, Korea was famous for the toilet revolution. The World Toilet Association (WTA) was established in 2007 at an inaugural meeting in Seoul with officials from 66 countries in attendance. The late former Suwon Mayor Shim Jae-duk, who served as the first chairman, was nicknamed “Mr. Toilet” as he led the toilet improvement movement. The WTA builds clean toilets in underdeveloped countries. The mayor had stressed that “the bathroom is a sanctuary that protects the lives of mankind.”

But in 2023, Korea was stigmatized as a country that could not even manage toilets clean. Korea can no longer be trusted to hold international events successfully. The World Scout Jamboree, which was said to have an economic effect of 6 trillion won ($4.5 billion), just wasted the budget of 100 billion won.

Jamboree is over, but international humiliation has to be endured for a while. We must face the shameful bare face of Korea that will be revealed in the process of thoroughly investigating what went wrong from the start.

The event was a disaster caused by greed, lack of responsibility, and incompetence. If there were managers like “Mr. Toilet” and the owner of the department store, the disaster could have been saved.