Ryugyong Hotel

Ryugyong Hotel Ryugyong Hotel under construction in February 2009. General information Location Pyongyang, North Korea Coordinates 39°02′11″N 125°43′50″E / 39.03639°N 125.73056°E / 39.03639; 125.73056Coordinates: 39°02′11″N 125°43′50″E / 39.03639°N 125.73056°E / 39.03639; 125.73056 Status Topped-out Groundbreaking 1987 Estimated completion 2012 Height Roof 330 metres (1,100 ft) Technical details Floor count 105 Floor area 360,000 m2 (3,875,000 sq ft) Companies involved Architect(s) Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers Contractor Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers Developer  North Korea

Ryugyong Hotel Chosŏn'gŭl 류경 호텔 Hancha 柳京 호텔 McCune–Reischauer Ryugyŏng Hot'el Revised Romanization Ryugyeong Hotel

The Ryugyong Hotel (Korean: 류경호텔) (sometimes anglicized as Ryu-Gyong Hotel or Yu-Kyung Hotel) is a 105-floor supertall skyscraper under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. The hotel is currently topped-out and scheduled to become the second-tallest hotel in the world when it is completed in 2012.

Its name comes from one of the historic names for Pyongyang: Ryugyong, or "capital of willows".^[1] Its 105 stories rise to a height of 330 metres (1,100 ft), and it contains 360,000 square metres (3,900,000 sq ft) of floor space, making it the most prominent feature of the city's skyline and by far the largest structure in the country. It is the world's 28th tallest building. Had it opened on its original schedule in 1989, it would have been the world's tallest hotel.^[2]

Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 due to the government's financial difficulties. The unfinished hotel remained untouched until April 2008, when construction resumed after being inactive for 16 years.^[3]

History

Background

The plan for a large hotel was reportedly a Cold War response to the completion of the Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore in 1986 by a South Korean company, SsangYong Group. North Korean leadership envisioned the project as a channel for Western investors to step into the marketplace. A firm, the Ryugyong Hotel Investment and Management Co., was established to attract a hoped-for US$230 million in foreign investment. A representative for the North Korean government promised relaxed oversight, saying, "The foreign investors can even operate casinos, nightclubs or Japanese lounges if they want to."^[4]

Building deadlock

The hotel was scheduled to open in June 1989 for the World Festival of Youth and Students, but problems with building methods and materials delayed completion. Work ceased in 1992 due to electricity shortages, funding problems and the North Korean famine.^{[citation needed]} Japanese newspapers estimated the cost of construction was US$750 million^[5]—equivalent to 2% of North Korea’s GDP.

In a 2006 article, ABC News questioned whether North Korea had sufficient raw materials or energy for such a massive project.^[2] A government official said in 2008 that construction had previously been halted when funds ran out.^[6] A decade after the start of construction, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea delegated an inspection of the building, where it was concluded that the structure was "irreparable".^[7]

International media reaction

Though the basic structure was complete when construction came to a halt in 1992, the unfinished building sat vacant and without windows, fixtures, or fittings for 16 years. A rusting construction crane at the top seemed to assume the role of a permanent fixture.^[8][9]

Even though the hotel dominates the Pyongyang skyline, it has proven difficult to obtain information about the hotel or its future from North Korean sources. Former CNN international correspondent Mike Chinoy likened it to the calcium deposit on the neck of longtime dictator Kim Il-sung.^[2] The alleged problems associated with the hotel led some media sources to dub it "The Worst Building in the World",^[10][11] "Hotel of Doom" and "Phantom Hotel".^[12]

Construction resumes

In April 2008, after 16 years of inactivity, foreign residents in Pyongyang noted that Egypt's Orascom Group had started refurbishing the hotel's top floors. Glass paneling and telecommunications antennas were observed being installed.^[13] The Orascom Telecom subsidiary confirmed involvement in the structure's construction, which was part of the development of GSM infrastructure in North Korea for up to 100,000 initial subscribers.^[14] Only North Korean government officials are permitted to use mobile phones and the service has been banned from use by ordinary citizens and foreigners since 2002.^[15]

In September 2008, Choe Jong Hun, an official with the Committee for Cultural Relations With Foreign Countries, said the refurbishing of the Ryugyong Hotel will be done by 2012, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the birth of "Eternal President" Kim Il Sung. An Orascom official indicated that the goal of the refurbishment was to facelift the structure's facade and make it more visually appealing.^[6] On December 22, 2008, photos of the construction appeared on the Internet.^[16] The photos revealed that work had begun to enclose the upper floors in glass.^[17] In August 2009, photos appeared showing at least one side of the hotel completely clad in glass, along with the completion of the outside covering of the upper floors.^[18] Orascom's chief operating officer, Khaled Bichara, has said that after 2010 it will be safe to start building from the inside and when finished it will be mixed use with hotel accommodation, apartments and business facilities.^[12]

Architecture

The Ryugyong Hotel was designed to feature 105 stories, resembling a flattened and bent ziggurat. The exterior walls of the building were to be covered in mirrored glass, with 3,000 guest rooms and several disk-shaped floors near the top of the building to feature five revolving restaurants.^[19] Under the leadership of Kim Jong-il,^[20] construction on this pyramid-shaped hotel began in 1987 by the North Korean construction firm Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers.^[21] The reinforced concrete structure consists of three wings, the face of each wing measuring 100 m (328 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) wide, which converge at a common point to form a pinnacle. At the top is a 40 m (131 ft) wide circular structure which contains eight floors intended to rotate, topped by a further six static floors. The hotel is surrounded by a number of pavilions, gardens, and terraces. Its walls slope at a steep 75 degree angle. It was added to maps and North Korean postage stamps before it was half-finished. After the building's concrete hardened, it was discovered that the elevator shafts were crooked, therefore preventing elevators from being able to operate in the building.^[20] It is unknown how Orascom has dealt or will deal with this issue.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ryugyong Hotel

• List of Korea-related topics
• Korean architecture

References