Koreans wash hands for just 14 seconds after using restroom, only half use soap: survey
Only about half of Korean adults wash their hands with soap after using the restroom, a survey showed, while the average time spent washing hands fell far short of the recommended 30 seconds. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday announced the findings of its survey on infection prevention practices for the first half of 2026, conducted jointly with the National…
A survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) in collaboration with the National Medical Center reveals concerning hand-washing habits among Korean adults. Only half of the participants washed their hands with soap after using the restroom, falling short of the recommended 30 seconds of hand-washing time. Conducted nationwide from May to June 2026, the study involved 4,560 adults across 120 public restrooms, with additional exit interviews with 1,800 participants.
The survey found that 86% of respondents washed their hands after using the restroom, an increase of 1.9 percentage points from the previous year. However, only 46.7% used soap, representing a 1.7 percentage point increase. An additional 39.3% washed their hands with water only, while 14% did not wash their hands at all following restroom use. The average time spent washing hands was notably short, with participants spending an average of 14 seconds, falling far below the recommended duration.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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