It should be a symbol of progress in a struggling nation. A symbol of prosperity, of superiority. A canvas for propaganda and the tallest hotel in the world: the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea. Yet even the most elaborate state propaganda cannot hide the fact that this monument has been awaiting completion for over 30 years.
The initiator of this mammoth project was the North Korean government itself in the 1980s. With a height of 300 m (984 ft), and later 330 m (1,083 ft), the Ryugyong Hotel was considered the tallest planned hotel in the world at the time. Originally, it was to have more than 105 floors with several thousand hotel rooms. And when we look at the facade today, we see an impressive sight: from a distance, the building resembles a giant mirrored pyramid.
In fact, the floor plan corresponds to an isosceles ypsilon. Another special feature can be seen at the top of the building. Here we see a protruding truncated cone consisting of eight floors, with six more floors above the cone. These eight protruding floors are able to rotate and are therefore predestined for their original purpose, as five luxury restaurants with a view of the capital were to be located here.
The reasons that this monumental building was included in our Eternal Ruins series may seem surprising at first glance: the Ryugyong Hotel was never completed. For decades, it has been known as the "Hotel of Ghosts" or the "Hotel of Doom". Is it haunted? Who knows. The Internet is full of urban legends. But for now, let's focus on the facts, at least those that have made it past North Korea's strict censorship.
Building History of Ryugyong Hotel
Planning of the Ryugyong Hotel began in the 1980s. Kim Il-sung, the first leader of North Korea, wanted a building that would be an unmistakable landmark with strong symbolism for his country. The choice fell on a three-sided pyramidal structure, which was pretty unusual for a construction project of this size, especially with the structural engineering means available at the time.
Why is the Ryugyong Hotel a pyramid?
On closer inspection, the Ryugyong Hotel with its three wings looks almost like a jet plane ready to take off vertically into the air—a powerful symbol of North Korea. The pyramid shape of the Ryugyong Hotel is about more than just stability, though.
For thousands of years, the pyramid has been a symbol of power, strength, and stability. Just think of the huge tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs. North Korea was going to get a monument to show off its power and compete with other great ruling cultures.
Ancient cultures were not the only ones that saw the pyramid shape as having a special meaning. It was actually about the Juche principle (principle of independence / self-sufficiency), which is the official ideology of the North Korean government. After the Soviet Union fell, Kim Il-sung's "one-man rule" was also justified on an institutional basis.
In the graphical representation, this governing principle is also called the Juche pyramid. The Kim family is at the top of society, and power flows from the top down.
Why did North Korea build such a large hotel?
It's fair to ask why a country that's very closed off socially and economically would build such a large hotel. Maybe the Ryugyong Hotel was meant to be a long-term investment to attract tourists. Did Kim Il-sung ever think about opening up North Korea to international tourism? Doubtful.
It is more likely that this building was erected solely for national and international propaganda purposes. Rather, the goal was to show the rest of the world how diverse the North Korean economy is, even beyond the military and heavy industry.
Problems with Construction of Ryugyong Hotel
Construction began in 1987. The plan was to complete the hotel a few years later, at the beginning of the 13th World Youth and Student Festival in Pyongyang (1989). But things did not go as planned.
Due to severe isolation and internal economic problems, North Korea fell into a serious crisis during the construction period, from which the country has yet to recover. The opening date was postponed, and when the Soviet Union, North Korea's strong partner, collapsed in 1989, it dragged North Korea's economy down with it. Despite the efforts of the Kim government, the completion of the world's tallest hotel had to be discontinued temporarily in 1992.
At that time, the Ryugyong Hotel was still under construction. Only the reinforced concrete structure was complete. Windows and interiors were still out of the question. For decades, the reinforced concrete colossus with a building crane at the top towered over the capital.
Although there was much speculation in the international media until 2008, the government never made a public statement or comment about the ruined building. The North Korean authorities simply pretended that this colossus, visible from miles around, did not exist. The hotel could not even be found on official city plans or maps.
Foreign Investors
The first information leaked out in May 2008, but not from North Korea itself. A South Korean politician reported a deal between North Korea and the Egyptian Orascom Group. Orascom Telecom was to expand and operate the North Korean mobile phone network as a mobile phone provider. As part of the deal, Orascom was to subsidize the "beautification" of the building with several hundred million dollars, and the company was to receive exclusive rights to use the hotel for 100 years.
So the construction started again, but had to be stopped a few years later. The exact reasons are unclear, but presumably this was also due to economic and financial problems. After all, the structure had been unfinished for over 20 years and had been exposed to all kinds of environmental influences. If any technology had been installed, it would have been obsolete by now. We know what buildings look like when they have been uninhabited for years.
Renovation Attempts at Ryugyong Hotel
According to the North Korean authorities, the hotel was to be completed by the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation's founder, Kim II-sung (1912-1994). The original plan was to provide mixed use: a rotating restaurant, hotel rooms, and various commercial spaces and apartments. The mirrored facade was completed between 2009 and 2011. Orascom, the investor, announced that the interior work would also begin in 2010.
The North Korean officials said that everything was going well. Kempinski Hotels S.A., the oldest luxury hotel group in Europe, was going to operate a hotel on the top floors starting in August 2013. 150 rooms were planned, but the project was scrapped after a few months of planning for reasons that aren't clear. One possible reason for this could be that it was just too difficult for a foreign company to enter the North Korean market.
The official completion didn't happen. Things have been pretty quiet around the Ryugyong Hotel, which was once the tallest planned hotel in the world. Even the LED strips that were attached to the facade in 2018, with scenes from films and the state propaganda typical of North Korea, can't hide the fact that this project has probably finally failed.
Why did the Ryugyong Hotel have to fail?
The Cold War in Europe came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. Strict sanctions were put in place against North Korea due to its nuclear weapons program and proven human rights violations. The country lost its most important trading partners, and international relations changed. More than half of all factories had to close; the number may even have been as high as 90%.
On top of that, North Korea has been hit by natural disasters over the last few decades. Droughts, floods, and failed harvests: There were lots of food shortages, which had a knock-on effect on the economy. North Korea was struggling to get by. So, investing more resources in such a big construction project wasn't an option.
Despite reports that North Korea is gradually opening up to the world again and wants to implement economic reforms, there have been no noticeable changes to the economic situation so far. Given that the country is isolated from the rest of the world, it's no surprise that completing such a large-scale project as the Ryugyong Hotel is proving difficult.
Another reason that this construction project has failed is that there was a lack of qualified workers. We know from our domestic construction industry that qualified personnel are desperately sought after. In a country like North Korea, this problem is likely to be much more acute, especially since the focus here has been more on the arms industry for decades.
Due to the isolation from the rest of the world, it is also possible that modern technologies and building methods for hotel complexes or residential buildings, which should have been updated a long time ago, aren't even available in North Korea.
What is the state of the Ryugyong Hotel today?
Today, the futuristic Ryugyong Hotel looks finished, at least from the outside. However, the construction was never officially completed and the building was never opened. Obviously, it still cannot be used. What is missing to make it a functional and habitable building is not publicly known. The strict censorship of the Kim regime means that hardly any information gets out anyway. At least not if it could be interpreted negatively.
It looks like the interior work hasn't really started yet. Some national visitors to the building have said there are still no power lines in the entire building. But we'll have to wait and see whether we can believe them.
As with most construction projects with such a history, lots of rumors surround the Ryugyong Hotel. A lack of competence on the part of the engineers, a lack of building materials, or accidents due to inadequate construction safety seem realistic in respect of North Korea's economic situation. Just a few years before the construction of the hotel began, they inaugurated the Triumphal Arch on the occasion of Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday. The country had some experience with major projects, but lacked knowledge of modern buildings.
The unfinished ruins are often called a ghost hotel. There have been reports of ghostly apparitions in the building, but it's mostly about the eerie atmosphere and abandonment, like a ghost town. The Ryugyong Hotel is a symbol of North Korea's failure, both politically and economically.
Will the Ryugyong Hotel ever be completed?
It is now unlikely that the Ryugyong Hotel will be completed. The political and economic situation in North Korea are unstable and are likely to remain so in the future. As the sole decision-maker, the government's priorities are not to complete the construction projects it has already started, as evidenced by the Yŏnggwang Hot'el – another large hotel project that stopped in 2013 after only two years of construction.
The sanctions against North Korea are also likely to continue; as long as the Kim dynasty stays in power, nothing is going to change. Even if funding, government interest, and building materials were available, it would be very difficult to bring such a large, empty building into the modern era.
Moreover, civil engineering in North Korea does not have a particularly good reputation. As recently as 2014, a residential building in Pyongyang collapsed due to structural problems, killing around 500 people, according to the North Korean authorities. According to official sources, four engineers who were involved in the construction project were executed a few days after the disaster. It is, therefore, more than understandable, both economically and morally, that foreign investors prefer to stay away from North Korean projects.
Conclusion: Failure of Construction Project and Failure of Nation
To sum up, this building has not only failed to serve its purpose as a sign of North Korea's progress, but has actually done the opposite. The proclaimed superiority of the North Korean socialist system and the cult of personality surrounding the leadership of the North Korean government by the Kim dynasty seems almost ironic when you look at this building.
We have only seen pictures and reports about the Ryugyong Hotel from the North Korean media, which due to strong censorship and a pronounced propaganda character are intended to represent a modern metropolis. It's possible that some of these images do not reflect the reality.
When it comes to big projects like the Ryugyong Hotel, it's important to plan ahead, work in cooperation with various experts, and have a high level of technical know-how to get the job done. We have already observed with major projects in Europe, such as Berlin Airport (BER) and Stuttgart 21, that it is often very difficult to implement such construction projects successfully and as planned.
The lack of separation between politics and construction in North Korea is also undoubtedly a major factor in the failure of the Ryugyong Hotel. Political interference in the construction industry has many negative effects on the construction time and quality of buildings. In addition to bureaucratic delays, there are often inappropriate decision-making processes and inefficient use of resources.
A clear separation of policy and construction will prevent side effects such as corruption or mismanagement, and it also gives the public, including sponsors, more confidence that this project can be completed successfully.
The planning and implementation of such a large project should be in the hands of competent experts, free from political pressure. However, political interference often means that political ideals take precedence over aspects such as independent construction supervision and proper quality control. And this often takes its toll, as this example clearly shows, even without an official statement from the North Korean government.