Free shower facility opened in October last year
Feces found twice, in January and July; hair dryer also reported missing
A free public shower facility Seoul set up for runners on Namsan has been hit by repeated incidents of users defecating inside the shower stalls, drawing public criticism.
According to the Namsan Jungbu Park and Leisure Center on Wednesday, users defecated in the men's shower stalls on two separate occasions — once in January and once in July.
The center posted a notice at the facility warning that "serious incidents have recently occurred, including the disappearance of a hair dryer and defecation inside shower stalls," adding that "such behavior causes great shock and inconvenience to other users and could lead to restrictions on operations, including the suspension of shared amenities."
The notice further urged users to "observe basic order and common decency in the shower room, just as you would follow proper etiquette while running," stressing that "this space was built with taxpayer money as a shared public facility."
The center had already posted the courtesy notice in both the men's and women's shower rooms after the first incident was confirmed in January.
Despite that warning, the misconduct was repeated just six months later. Both incidents occurred in the men's shower room, though it has not been confirmed whether the same person was responsible or whether the acts were deliberate.
Users must write their name and entry time by hand at the entrance and complete a QR code verification before entering. However, the individual shower stalls — used after undressing — are single-occupancy enclosed spaces, making it difficult to monitor what happens inside.
The Namsan runner shower facility opened in October last year as part of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's policy to expand community-based exercise facilities to promote residents' health. The facility gives runners and cyclists a free place to wash up and change clothes before and after workouts, as Namsan has become a popular leisure and tourism destination for both Korean and foreign visitors.
A city official said that from the facility's opening in October last year through Sept. 27, a total of 12,862 people had used the Namsan runner shower facility, and that the two defecation incidents represented only a tiny fraction of users. "We view this as the misconduct of an extremely small minority," the official said, adding that the city was strengthening guidance and education efforts to prevent a recurrence.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
