Photos from inside North Korean Ryugyong Hotel

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220524161341539.54916.152296118164344

by lewispb • 14 years ago

27 19 14 years ago

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angdis• 14 years ago

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relix• 14 years ago

Some interesting tidbits from wikipedia [1]:

Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 [...] resumed in 2008 [to be completed this year].

The unfinished building was not surpassed in height by any new hotel until the 2009 completion of the spire atop the Rose Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel

michaelwascher• 14 years ago

The travel site associated with this photo creeps me out...

tomrod• 14 years ago

Wow. So it's mostly unfinished inside?

aiurtourist• 14 years ago

Most undoubtedly. Given my non-expert outsider cursory knowledge of North Korea, the hotel will likely never be finished and will remain for show. They'll probably finish the main lobby and a handful of rooms — just enough to give the impression of how grandiose it is. Keeping up appearances.

Also, consider what happens to concrete being exposed like that for two decades. The concrete isn't meant for decades of weather, it's meant to be enclosed. The concrete degrades and becomes unsafe. Same thing has happened with a lot of the Dubai skyscrapers whose construction was halted, and they were only exposed for a few years (so says a Dubai contractor friend).

rolux• 14 years ago

Just some background info: The new contractor, Orascom [1], has been issued a licence to operate the North Korean 3G Network [2]. Orascom is both a telecommunications and a construction company.

I doubt that their plan is to use the hotel exclusively as a giant antenna, but it's not unlikely that finishing the facade was a political priority, while operating the hotel is not.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orascom_Group

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel#Construction_res...

hevyw8• 14 years ago

If you find this interesting, it will be worth your time to watch the series Vice did on their visit to North Korea. http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-n...

TazeTSchnitzel• 14 years ago

Huh, Koryo Tours. I knew you could get to North Korea from China, but I didn't know there were dedicated tour companies!

iloveponies• 14 years ago

You have to use either Koryo or another government approved/run organisation for tourism inside the DPRK.

http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea

tryitnow• 14 years ago

This got me reading up on buildings with 100+ floors.

It's interesting to note how the US basically just gave up in the early '70s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_buildings_with_100_floo...

What happened in the early 1970s? It seems like that was the beginning of the decline of American power. Tall buildings construction seems symbolic of that.

jakeonthemove2• 14 years ago

It's the same thing as with aircraft carriers - today, smaller, more maneuverable ships (hence the focus on VTOL, as well) and drones are favored over the huge floating islands that are basically sitting ducks.

I think the reason for no more tall buildings is the lack of space in the big cities - nobody's going to build a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, after all :-)...

PakG12• 14 years ago

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/broad-sustainable-buildi...

edit: found the HN discussion. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4574100

cchurch• 14 years ago

I disagree about the lack of space. If anything, it makes more economic sense to build a wider, shorter building in the expanding suburbs and exurbs.

This is why the US has so much sprawl.

maratd• 14 years ago

> It seems like that was the beginning of the decline of American power.

Or the beginning of the realization that such buildings make little economic sense? After the 70s, local governments were far more reluctant to finance such endeavors ... with no subsidies, building them made even less sense.

chippy2• 14 years ago

Sorry, but I cannot see any photos of inside the Hotel. Have they been taken down?

chippy2• 14 years ago

ahh, I can see one photo, a singular photo of the inside.

Photos from inside North Korean Ryugyong Hotel

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