KTA Chairman Chung Honored with May 16 National Award

Praised for his contribution to upgrading Korea's toilet environment, thus raising international standing

Korea Toilet Association (KTA) Chairman Chung Soong-ryul has been awarded the coveted May 16 National Award in the social and educational field.
The winners of the 46th May 16 National Awards, announced by the May 16 National Awards Foundation, are KTA Chairman Chung in the social and educational field; Park Se-hwan, chairman of the Korea Veterans Association, in the national security sector; Seo Jung-jin, chairman and CEO of Celltrion, in the science and technology R&D field; and Chang Se-il, chairman of Ilsung Corp., in the industrial sector. An award ceremony took place at the Renaissance Seoul Hotel in Seoul on May 16.
Chung has been credited with not only transforming the nation's toilet environment, which had been considered unsanitary for half a century, into part of a daily life space on the occasion of Korea's hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, thus enhancing Koreans' international standing, but also for pioneering the global sanitary toilet environment movement by suggesting a global green toilet environment vision.
While serving as the president of Korea Expressway Corp., Chung has been praised for having implemented projects to overhaul toilets at expressway service areas. Since he took the helm at the KTA in 2007, he has been lauded for holding the Nationwide Green Toilet Culture Event and inaugurating the Green Toilet Culture Grand Awards and executing diverse projects such as the Green Toilet/Bathroom Industry Exhibition, green toilet-related meetings, and academic seminars designed to lay a solid foundation for spreading the green toilet movement across the nation.
Chung has been conducting volunteering activities such as the Movement for Building Love Toilets for the Underprivileged and delivering donations and toilet-related relief goods to the earthquake-stricken areas in Haiti and China. He has been extolled for his leading roles in implementing toilet refurbishment projects designed to improve human beings' sanitation and quality of life around the world by taking the initiative in the green growth paradigm of the 21st Century.
KTA was established as a nonprofit organization with the approval of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in October 1999 with the goal of enhancing the quality of people's lives and refurbishing toilets for the nation's successful hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The Act on Public Toilets was promulgated in July 2007. The board members are from public organizations such as the Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Expressway Corp., Korea Rail Corp., Korea Water Resources Corp., and the Korea National Park Service, as well as toilet-related firms such as Daelim B&CO, IS Dongseo Co., and Yuhan-Kimberly.
KTA's major achievements include: the construction of toilets for low-income households; the legislation of the Act on Public Toilets, the first such law in the world; invigorating the Korean toilet industry by hosting the World Toilet/Bathroom Expo; a training program on beautiful toilets; a toilet contest; a survey on public toilets, run by local governments across the nation; a green toilet campaign; the execution of toilet design and management manual development and other R&D activities; and the execution of a toilet quality certification project. nw

Korea Toilet Association chairman Chung Soong-ryul, right, poses with Rep. Park Geun-hye, left, of the ruling Grand National Party after receiving the 46th May 16 National Awards, initiated by late President Park Chung-hee for the promotion of the national development and prosperity at the Renaissance Seoul Hotel in Seoul on May 16. At center is Chung's wife. courtesy of May 16 National Awards Foundation
Photos on courtesy of KTA

Korea Toilet Association chairman Chung Soong-ryul, left, receives the award from the May 16 National Awards Foundation chairman Kim Jae-choon. courtesy of May 16 National Awards Foundation