North Korea’s 'Hotel of Doom' is epitome of deception — 38 years later, it is still awaiting completion
The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, is 1,000 feet high and the perfect background for major events. But do you know that it is not complete? Construction started in 1987, and the hotel is still not ready. It might seem so from the outside, but on the inside, it is empty.
Ryugyong Hotel or "Hotel of Doom"
North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang has a hotel that has never hosted a single guest. Ryugyong Hotel is 105 stories tall and shaped like a pyramid. At one time, there were grand plans for the hotel. Construction started in 1987, yet it is still not complete. This has earned it the nickname "Hotel of Doom".
1,000-foot-high hotel is still not complete
It was supposed to open in 1989, but that didn't happen. In fact, it remains a ghost tower since the interiors are virtually empty. Plans for the 1,000-foot-high hotel include 3,000 rooms, an eight-story revolving restaurant and a casino.
Hotel Ryugyong exterior was completed in 1992
The exterior of the hotel Ryugyong is complete, as it reached its full height in 1992. However, construction was halted soon after, and in the past 33 years, work has started and stopped several times.
Pyongyang's economic troubles
The main reason for the Ryugyong remaining incomplete is the lack of finances. Pyongyang continuously battles economic problems, choosing to dedicate most of its funds to military activities.
$2 billion needed to complete Ryugyong
The hotel has no electricity, and there is no completion date in sight. According to experts, North Korea needs around $2 billion to complete Ryugyong Hotel. The amount is five per cent of the country's entire GDP, making it hard to access and allocate.
German hotel group offered to open it partly in 2012
Twenty years after the exterior of the hotel was complete, a glimmer of hope became visible when a German hotel group, Kempinski, announced it would partially open the Ryugyong under its management in 2013. However, the deal fell through and they pulled out a few months later.
Some people have been inside Ryugyong
Meanwhile, the hotel has appeared in some social media videos, and some people have also managed to enter the "Hotel of Doom." Simon Cockerell, general manager of a company specialising in North Korea tours, is one of them.
Pile of cement and service elevator
He told CNN that his group was taken to the lobby area, "where there was a lot of exposed cement." They also went to "the one working elevator to the top, which was the 99th floor." He added, "It was a service elevator, not a modern lift with a string of buttons. There was a lift operator who determined where to stop."
Search on for someone who can operate a casino at the Ryugyong Hotel
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, hotel authorities are in search of a foreign investor to purchase gambling rights and operate a casino at the Ryugyong Hotel.
Ryugyong hotel offers the perfect backdrop for major events
For now, the Ryugyong hotel acts as a pretty backdrop for several events. It is also lit up in the colours of the North Korean national flag and with propaganda messages.
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