Children Still Forced to Squat... More in Gangbuk, Fewer in Gangnam

More than 90% of Elementary Schools Have Squat Toilets
Seoul's Gangbuk Area Has More Than Gangnam's 3 Districts
"Students Unfamiliar with Squat Toilets Feel Embarrassed"

It has been revealed that more than 16,000 squat toilets still remain in elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul.

According to the data on toilet fixtures in Seoul's elementary, middle, and high schools submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to Go Yong-jin, a member of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, as of June, out of a total of 113,882 toilets in 1,307 schools across Seoul, 16,662 (14.6%) are squat toilets.

In particular, the Gangnam 3 districts?Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa?had a lower proportion of squat toilets compared to the Seoul average, while the Gangbuk area showed a higher proportion.

By district, Jungnang-gu in Seoul had the highest proportion of squat toilets at 20.2%, while Gangnam-gu had the lowest at 9.2%. Among elementary schools, Jongno-gu had the highest proportion of squat toilets at 22.6%, and among middle schools, Seongdong-gu had the highest at 28.7%.

Assemblyman Go pointed out, “For students who are not accustomed to squat toilets, simply going to the restroom can be a distressing experience,” adding, “We must no longer neglect the discomfort of students.”

A squat toilet installed in an elementary school in Seoul

It has also been confirmed that a significant number of schools in Gyeonggi-do still have squat toilets.

On the 7th, the office of Kim Nam-guk, an independent member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, announced that a survey of all 2,526 schools in the Gyeonggi region found that 75% (1,896 schools) had squat toilets installed.

Among them, 160 schools had a squat toilet installation rate exceeding 50%, and 9 schools had rates above 80%. One elementary school in Hwaseong had 92.5%, and one high school in Bucheon had 88.7%.

The proportion of squat toilets among all toilets in Gyeonggi-do was 18.2%, which is lower than the national average of 19%. Gyeongnam had the highest at 32.6%, and Jeju had the lowest at 0.2%.

While squat toilets have the advantage of being more hygienic due to less physical contact compared to chair-type toilets, their usage posture is uncomfortable and different from what is used at home, making students unfamiliar with them. Therefore, there have been ongoing calls for urgent replacement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.