CHEONAN, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – “You won’t find bathrooms like this in Paris. These are facilities you’d expect in a five-star hotel, but here in Korea, anyone can use them for free right in the middle of a highway. It’s truly amazing,” said Mikael, 39, a French tourist, giving a thumbs up after using the facilities at the Manghyang Rest Stop on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Cheonan on October 20.
The restroom, which recently won the grand prize in South Korea’s 26th Beautiful Public Restroom Contest on October 17, feels more like a luxury spa than a highway pit stop.
Walking inside, visitors are greeted by wood-finished walls around the sink area and a central garden that evokes the courtyard of a traditional Korean hanok house.
The attention to detail is striking: waste bins are discreetly integrated into storage spaces finished with matching materials, maintaining the elegant aesthetic.
The toilet areas are bathed in natural light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Decorative doors featuring traditional Korean window patterns naturally draw the eye to an exterior garden, where stone lanterns complete the distinctly Korean ambiance.
The facility, redesigned in 2016 by interior designer Yang Teo, takes inspiration from the Cheonan Hyanggyo (Confucian school) and traditional Korean architecture.
It has garnered particular praise for successfully combining modern amenities — including nursing rooms and diaper changing stations — with traditional cultural elements.
Foreign visitors seem especially impressed.
“The floating garden in the middle is exotic, and when you look in the mirror, you see plants in the background — it doesn’t feel like a bathroom at all,” said Sina, 29, from Miami.
“The natural light makes it feel so fresh, and the space feels larger than it actually is.”
The rest stop’s name, “Manghyang,” which means “longing for home,” takes on new meaning for some visitors.
A North Korean defector who identified himself as Yoon Gang-su (an alias) remarked, “You could never dream of seeing a bathroom like this in North Korea. The effort put into these facilities alone shows the difference in national status between North and South Korea.”
Hailey, 21, from Toronto, pointed to another modern touch: “We don’t have real-time digital displays showing bathroom availability in Canada. This is why I live in Korea,” she said with a smile.
“Following our 2016 recognition as the nation’s bestpublic restroom for citizen happiness, we’re honored to receive another major award,” said Eom Seung-seop, the rest stop’s representative.
“We’ll continue working to make our facilities even more comfortable for users.”
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
