North Korea’s Ryungyong hotel is getting a face lift, or at least some makeup. The 105-story hotel was to be the pride of the totalitarian North Korean regieme. It’s construction was begun in 1987 under Kim Il-Sung but funding dried up and construction was halted in 1992 leaving a 1,083 foot concrete eysore that has dominated the Pyongyang skyline for 17 years topped off with a construction crane that has stood atop the edifice this whole time.
The pyrimidal concrete shell was wiped off official government maps and hardly being a symbol of pride, it had become an embarrasment to the state. When foregners asked locals about it, they would act like they didn’t know anythinng about it despite being the most dominant feature in the North Korean skyline.
It seems, however, that efforts are being made to complete the strucutre. There have been questions about the soundness of the concrete framework, having been exposed to the elements all these years. New photos have emerged showing reflective glass being placed over the face of the building. I wonder if this is just an attempt to improve the building’s appearance or to actually make the building functional.
“Pyongyang: Home to the Tallest Hotel in the World That Could, but Will Never Be“, ABC News. 23 October, 2006
“North Koreans revamp ‘world’s worst building’”, The Independent. 18 July, 2009
