Pyongyang North Korea is ‘better’ than Tokyo
UPDATE!
There is a new report from the lindsayfincher.com blog dated March 9th, 2010, which seems to show the hotel’s “reconstruction” may have been completed only from one viewing angle.
“This is the closest we came to the Ryugyong, when we visited the Victorious Fatherland Liberation Museum.”
–March 9th, 2010 lindsayfincher.com
A constant source of amusement to the Japanese (and the rest of the world) is North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel–aka the ‘Ruin Ryugyong’– that has been left uncompleted for more than 20 years. In the past year it has reported several times in the press that a foreign cellphone company has resumed construction on the hotel. Here’s a CLEAR photo of the Hotel Doom, before and after.
View the full-size photo, 571×869 px.
The recent contruction was done soley to enclose the Ruin Ryugyong in glass and make the hotel less of a laughing stock of Architecture. You have to say it now looks impressive (even though the inside is an unlivable concrete shell because the lack fixtures, mechanicals, crooked elevators and insufficient strength to handle any occupancy).
However, it is good to remember that North Korea’s Hotel Ryugyong is still taller than any building in Europe or JAPAN. For example, Japan’s tallest building, Yokohama Landmark Tower is only 295.8 m (970 ft) but the Hotel Ryugyong is 330.02 m (1,100 ft). So remember…
Back in 2007 I wrote about Pyongyang North Korea as a better Tokyo with a great YouTube video (below) of a fictional/humorous take on Pyongyang North Korea with a Disneyeque Hotel Ryugyong.
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March 11th, 2010 at 9:20 am
When viewed from outer space…
It’s Taepodongtacularious!
March 11th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I enjoy (though I feel awful about it because all of those poor people are suffering) the views from space of Korea with the South lit up like a Christmas tree and the North lit up like Kim Jong Il’s bowels.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Observing Planet X -^ Ni biru.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:00 am
is this news true?!?!
March 12th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Embiggen to full-size photo, 800 x 604 px.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Well yes it is “true.”
North Korea has finally glassed in the Hotel Hell, but it most likely will never be occupied since the elevators don’t work and structure was built with weak, substandard concrete.
UPDATE!
There is a new lindsayfincher.com blog, dated March 9th, 2010, which shows the hotel’s reconstruction may have completed only from one viewing angle.
http://www.lindsayfincher.com/2010/03/north-korea-the-ryugyong-hotel.html
As shown in her blog photos:
lindsayfincher.com…dprk_around_pyongyang_018.JPG
lindsayfincher.com…dprk_around_pyongyang105.JPG
March 12th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
it did not seems true,
there is a better picture here:
yolearnchinese.com after-16-years-the-construction-of-the-ryugyong-hotel-pyongyang-continues-while-north-korean-people-still-suffer
also domus magazine organized a compeition few years ago but not much on the web
March 12th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Building something that high in concrete instead of steel is… interesting… and adding glass like if it was not monstruously heavy enough already might just add to the fun…
Paris got an equal concrete monstruosity called the Montparnass Tower, it’s said that on top of it you have the most amazing view of the city, because you can’t see it ruining the landscape…
(Jussieu is also quite miserable…)
March 13th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Your “true” picture taken by Kernbeisser in the Winter 2008 / 2009, meaning it is over a year old. The lindsayfincher.com blog photo is the most recent since it was taken March 9th, 2010.
There are very few CURRENT photos of Hotel Doom available on the Internet. A search of all 2010 photos of the Ryugyong Hotel on flickr only results in three, the best being…