In preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese government is dispatching its officials to learn more about Korea's bathroom clean-up campaign. According to an article from the Chosunilbo, a "toilet law" has been in effect in South Korea since last December, to great acclaim.

The law stems from a massive image improvement campaign that started before the last World Cup, which was held jointly with the king of clean nations, Japan. "Korea has become one of the few countries in the world to have a toilet law. The Public Restrooms Law, passed in the National Assembly last December, even prescribes that the number of toilets in women’s restrooms must be greater than all toilets and urinals in men’s restrooms. That brought human rights into the privy, and the law passed with 180 votes in favor and none against."

If you are wondering whether the Korean bureaucracy can enforce its toilet law, never fear -- hardy Korean activists have created the "Citizens Coalition for Restroom Culture" to ensure that Korea's toilets stay clean. Their next target: elementary school restrooms. And considering something mentioned in an earlier poop report about Korean food, perhaps this law was long past due.

In other Asian news: On Oct. 23, the Kyoto City Zoo unveiled its latest attraction: paper. But this was no ordinary paper. Using a mixture of recycled milk cartons and elephant dung (kindly donated by the zoo's most popular pachyderm, Mito), the zoo made public its revolutionary new creation, dubbed Poopy Pulp.

After boiling dear Mito's donation to sterilize it, one part poop was mixed with four parts milk cartons, strained, and dried to make a light brown fibrous postcards that "hardly even smelled at all." Lucky zoo patrons were given poopcards to take home with them. The poopy pulp was one of several attractions on display at the zoo to commemorate its 100-year anniversary.