North Korea’s Greatest Folly

ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea.jpg

Work has resumed on North Korea’s immense Ryugyong Hotel, intended as the world’s tallest hotel, but experts are predicting that it could cost 10% of the nation’s GDP to finish safely, with some even predicting a spectacular collapse if the work is not done.

ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-2.jpg

The hotel was set to be the world’s largest, at 330m tall with 105 storeys, 3000 rooms and a 7 storey rotating restaurant to give panoramic views of the desolate capital of Pyongyang. However, it has already been superseded by a Dubai hotel.

ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-9.jpg
ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-5.jpg
ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-6.jpg
ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-7.jpg

The initial construction costs were estimated to be $750,000,000, which is approximately 3-4% of North Korea’s presumed GDP.

Construction began in 1982, but with the collapse of communism and a series of problems with ground subsidence and an inability to fit elevators work was cancelled in 1992; after this the hulking derelict was dubbed “the world’s tallest ruin” by bemused Chinese sources.

ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-8.jpg

Construction quietly resumed in 2008 with the involvement of an Egyptian firm, and now much of the building is at least glazed, though what remains of the presumably weather ravaged interior is not clear.

“Completion,” or at least its ceremonial opening, is scheduled for the 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung in 2012.

However, sources familiar with the edifice are saying that it could cost $2,000,000,000 to complete the structure safely due to various inadequacies in construction. This would amount to some 10% of the North Korean GDP, a crippling sum and one the leadership would surely rather spend on missiles with which to threaten its neighbours.

Should the structure not be properly finished, some are predicting its collapse, though should the funds be somehow scraped together it seems possible the nation itself might collapse.

Were it to be completed and used as a hotel North Korea’s problems might only exacerbate, as the running costs of a gigantic but empty hotel would be an even further drain.

In any case, it seems this grand spire might truly be North Korea’s greatest folly.

ryugong-hotel-pyongyang-north-korea-4.jpg

Via Heaven.


    Post Comment »
    205 Comments
    Sort by: Date | Score
    Comment by Anonymous
    11:01 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I liked it better when they photoshoped this out of the city skyline

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:33 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    This is really, really sad. Madness in a Hitler-esque mean of the word. That ruin actually looks like the mad projects of the "Third Reich".

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:26 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    At least the Third Reich took nearly all of mainland Europe that one time. North Korea only managed to take part of South Korea and that's only because China was helping them!

    Comment by Anonymous
    20:39 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    ^Hah!! XD

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:39 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    HAH!!

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:49 20/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Soviet Union also helped.

    Avatar of ollie
    Comment by ollie
    00:48 10/12/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    I can't wait for the collapse of the country or the building!

    Comment by Anonymous
    19:57 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    In the first place... A hotel in a country that forbids entry and exit is stupid.

    Comment by Anonymous
    20:50 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Indeed, anon. Indeed...

    Avatar of Marine-RX179
    Comment by Marine-RX179
    21:31 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Or rather...would tourists even take their vocation there with the risks of breaking some ridiculous local laws unknowingly and get excuted, with their friends and families back home not even know what the hell happened to them...

    Avatar of Szpieg z krainy deszczowcow
    05:36 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Oh it's quite easy to visit and leave North Korea. Commie regimes are always in need of good foreign currency. And it's a very good ocasion for propaganda. To show foreigners how beautiful is the the country of uncle Kim and how happy are it's people.And I think if you don't do something really stupid you are perfectly safe. Although you might cause troubles to natives if you for example try to speak about politics with some strangers. Your "guarding angel" from secret police will break your conversation and suggest some other actiivites you may enjoy, but the Korean guy you tried to speak can find himself in the police station for the interrogation.

    Comment by Anonymous
    23:58 17/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I wonder if they will use the rooms to entomb their leaders, weeee, pyramid building anew.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:02 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I've seen stupider national investments.....

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:02 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Like China painting an entire mountain side green

    Avatar of kajunbowser
    Comment by kajunbowser
    Avatar of Tex_Arcana
    Comment by Tex_Arcana
    16:40 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Lesboswede porn.

    Comment by Anonymous
    05:58 17/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Hey! Lesboswede porn is awesome! :3

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:02 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    no fan of dubai or any big construction projects for no good reason

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:41 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    The buildings in dubai are built by slaves, too. Workers from poor countries who are tricked into coming with promises of huge pay packets, but then offered only a few dollars a day and the debt of the plane ticket hanging over their head. They all live in shanty towns hidden away from the tourists, it's totally fucked.

    tldr;; lol ragheads and kimchis make stupid buildings

    Comment by Anonymous
    07:39 14/05/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    what a racist fuck... go fuck yourself

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:03 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Does anyone even visit North Korea?

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:05 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    No, No they dont.

    Avatar of Tex_Arcana
    Comment by Tex_Arcana
    11:05 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Indeed. While I enjoyed the hell out of blowing it up on the PS2, I've gotta wonder at the expected clientele.

    All embargoes aside, who chooses to take a vacation in NORTH KOREA?

    Avatar of Tiedupinknots
    Comment by Tiedupinknots
    22:20 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    North Koreans?

    Comment by Anonymous
    08:59 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I lol'd :D

    Avatar of Endersgame
    Comment by Endersgame
    09:00 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Hmm got logged out >.>

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:06 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    can anyone even visit North Korea?
    I don't really think it's in the visa waiver program!

    Avatar of Shuu
    Comment by Shuu
    11:39 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It is possible, Japanese and South Koreans visit North Korea to see abducted relatives (NK has even build a hotel for that purpose [not this one obviously]). They had a limited tourist program for South Koreans, for which they build a beach resort at their east coast, but the program has been canceled after a South Korean woman taking a morning walk at the beach was shot dead by patrolling soldiers...

    Avatar of EroMango
    Comment by EroMango
    12:39 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    i was thinking about problems like that, guess you answered my problem before i even mentioned it, i think they only let ppl into their country just to abduct them and ask for a ransom from their family, thats how NK make their money

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:45 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Actually it is possible to visit North Korea, but the visa is notoriously difficult to get(I believe it is only offered to those countries that NK has diplomatic relations with). And you can't just go anywhere you want, you have to follow the tourist route provided by the state. Because they don't want use to see the starving North Koreans. Other than that, the state actually invested a lot of money in construction projects, which is pretty cool.

    Comment by Anonymous
    10:07 17/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    yeah really cool they are investing money into buildings and not feeding their people. Communism ftw

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:42 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Chinese people can get in fairly easily, a co-worker told me her father (from Nanjing) crossed the border a few times. It's a lot harder for whiteys though.

    Avatar of Marine-RX179
    Comment by Marine-RX179
    22:22 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Her father might have gotten lucky a few times, but NK just need to be lucky one time and it would be game over for him...

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:04 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    this is why communism fails

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:10 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It's a dictatorship.

    Avatar of NitWit005
    Comment by NitWit005
    16:41 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    A communist dictatorship, like most of the other communist nations have been.

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:07 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Nothing communist about NK, it's simply a dictatorship, It's impossible to be a dictator in a communist country, the 2 of them together would make no sense.

    Dictatorship.

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:27 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It's communism in name only.

    Comment by Anonymous
    14:04 12/01/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Every leader of the Soviet Union except Mikhail Gorbachev would like to disagree with your statement 17:07 Anon.

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:05 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    North Korea is a socialist dictatorship.

    There never have been communism dude, communism has no state at all and no chance there will be a human exploring another human.

    But then, communism is just an utopia.

    Avatar of Fatty
    Comment by Fatty
    11:17 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    communism is a good idea, its just that it hasn't been properly implemented. it always gets corrupted and turned into a shitstorm before it is completed. read up on history some time.

    Comment by MasterInfamous
    11:22 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    this is also why communism fails.

    communism sucks, ALWAYS.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:25 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    yeah like democracy has lead to smart thinking and war-free nations.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:33 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Communism and democracy are completely different things. One is an economic system and the other is a political\government system. Apples and oranges.

    People just tend to associate communism with dictatorships, for obvious reasons.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:46 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    This is why government should never be in place. People can't govern people because people in power always get corrupted by it. It's the absolute truth that not one single being on this planet wouldn't be corrupted if they were in power.

    Comment by Anonymous
    14:38 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    And if there was absolutely no government in power, it would be easy to take power for oneself and rule as a warlord. Replacing a big corrupt government with a smaller government that's equally corrupt and much more likely to personally put a bullet in peoples' brains.

    Like, you know, what happens in actual anarchies.

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:15 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    No in anarchistic voids, in pure anarchy there would be no rule to take. Learn the difference between reality and theory.

    More than this, we managed to live with it for millions of years, I'm sure we could again, we just need to go through several steps to get there safely; and these steps unfortunately are invisible to me, I'm not that good a sociologist.

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:09 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    lol "proper" anarchy. It doesn't exist(in reality) for a good reason. I'm sure we all would like to live in a world without advanced medical care, stable food production, go about our business without technologies like computers & cellphones and go back to banging rocks together. Stick your ideals up your ass and grow up, kid.

    Comment by Anonymous
    20:22 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Communism is the best form of government! .... But only sentient ants and hive mind aliens can make Communism work. Everyone else is too greedy to so few in control of so much for the "common good"

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:06 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    if the common good demands we make you an underground plumber who cleans shit drains, would you call it simply 'greedy'? And all the while, your friend gets a job as a lamborgini valet parker.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:32 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Enlighten us Fatty Fat Fat McFat pants, how could it possibly be 'properly' implemented...

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:43 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Why so angry? Do you even know anything about the ideals of communism? Just because it hasn't been done yet doesn't mean it can't be done. People who only question others and insult them are such retards.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:57 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Yes, I do know about the ideals of communism. I asked a legitimate question. Good job questioning and insulting me, retard. Welcome to the internet, don't forget your sense of humor.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:14 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Communism has never been completely achieved. The theory allows for a transition, which is basically a dictatorship until everything is in place to make it work properly. Corrupt administrators never allow for it to leave it's transitional state.

    Avatar of Artefact
    Comment by Artefact
    14:23 15/09/2009 # ! Transparent

    Get out of here you dirty reds.

    Avatar of KamiOkurimono
    Comment by KamiOkurimono
    15:17 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    LOL, nice one!

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:11 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Ignorance at its best, Communism is a great idea, Americans are only afraid of it because they fail to understand it. THERE IS NO TRUE DEMOCRACY OR COMMUNIST COUNTRY they're either morphed into socialism or a dictatorship.

    Communism cannot work because People = Shit.

    Comment by Anonymous
    19:42 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I have food, shelter, clothing and a certain amount of luxory in the form of consumer electronics - just like all of you. I like the way things are right now. Fuck your Communism, I don't need it.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:39 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    The same can really be said of any form of government. Ideally, the perfect government would be a dictatorship ruled by enlightened, benevolent king, one that cuts out all bureaucracy and indecision, but isn't bogged down by an entrenched ruling family more interested in self preservation than the people. Of course, that's never going to happen, and neither will the ideal forms of any other social system, economic or political.

    How did the saying go? DEMOCRACY SUCKS, but it's the best kind of government we have so farm. (emphasis mine.)

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:49 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    That kind of government has happened a few times in the past but always ends when the leader dies and the fall is a very hard one.

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:58 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Actually, Democracy does suck. In fact, all democracies fail rather spectacularly. America is oft misidentified as a democracy, but it is actually a republic. Republics are indeed the best form of government conceived as of yet. It's a shame that no matter how successful a republic becomes, it will always become a dictatorship eventually. A charismatic leader will always come about and use promises of reappropriating wealth from one group to another to manipulate the less fortunate into voting them into power. Then they nationalize as much of the private sector as possible, and once the needs of the people are solely held in the hands of the government, they declare absolute rule.

    I, of course, am talking about Julius Caesar, though you may draw a corollary to a similar leader we have today...

    Avatar of NitWit005
    Comment by NitWit005
    16:46 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You're saying that Ronald McDonald is going to overthrow the American government? It does make a strange sort of sense...

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:47 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    communism will always fail because its idealistic and ask citizens to be altruistic, which unfortunately, human kind fail too much to be able to do that

    if actualized.. a communistic nation would have no central governing body and everyone would act according to their own belief in goodness and will work towards a better tomorrow without asking things in return and that is, needless to say, impossible.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:10 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    There is a way to have something similar except in an opposite way and with current technology it could be done. That is where everyone is the government and everyone takes time to help run the government. Everyone has an equal duty and equal say in how it is run. This could be done through computers and the internet and people will either volunteer or be randomly assigned duties. All voting would be done by everyone instead of a select body. If the country has a state or province system they could have state and national systems.

    A way to prevent hacking of the system is using a randomly distributed encrypted data system. All information would be encrypted and randomly distributed over all computers connected to the system.

    Also to make sure everyone is doing their governmental duties one of the duties is to make sure people are doing their duties and to report it to the system. Depending on how often it happens and how many infractions voting on restrictions being placed on the person could be from local all the way to the national level.

    The software running the government would be made in a similar way to that of open source software like WINE where it is developed by anyone and everyone can look at the code. A document of all features would be provided on completion for voting. (same with patches)

    Also everyone has the choice on whether to vote or not but there needs to be a minimum amount of people to vote on each issue. Also it will be easy to vote and all issues will come up on starting the program and logging in.

    Avatar of Tex_Arcana
    Comment by Tex_Arcana
    19:18 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Everyone with substandard literacy would complain about their vote bieng 'stolen'. Every Lobbyist, Journalist and Politician would oppose it for the simple reason it'd cost them influence. And every foreign power would try to find a way to hack the system.

    I agree that It could be done. It could even be done competently in less than a decade. But unless a wave of scandals clears 50% of the house, it's a doomed concept.

    Avatar of soup
    Comment by soup
    21:08 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I view this project as a good sign..
    Maybe the two Koreas will rejoin faster than I thought..

    Avatar of KonW
    Comment by KonW
    13:25 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    unftly, since humans beings are born different(IQ and etc) that cant be achieved

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:12 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Communism is failed Socialism. Having said that, I think we should goad N. Korea to continue with this construction, maybe this will be the tipping point to their economic demise.

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:11 15/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Socialism is failed communism you retard, pick a book up one of these days.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:19 16/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Wrong jackass! Socialism came first before Communism. Communism is Socialist ideals applied to it. Before telling people to pick up a book, learn how to read and comprehend what's inside one. You look like a damn fool, palsy.

    Avatar of Kwonnie
    Comment by Kwonnie
    13:24 12/09/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    More like communism is a good idea, but we're too human for it to work.







    Post Comment »

Popular

Recent News

Recent Galleries

Recent Comments