The Ryugyong Hotel: North Korea’s Mysterious Empty Skyscraper

The Ryugyong Hotel: North Korea’s Mysterious Empty Skyscraper

North Korea is a country shrouded in secrecy, with tightly controlled information, a rigid political system, and limited access for foreigners. Among its many mysteries, one structure stands out—the Ryugyong Hotel, a towering pyramid-like skyscraper in the heart of Pyongyang. Despite being the tallest building in the country and once envisioned as a symbol of economic progress, the Ryugyong Hotel has remained largely empty for decades.

Why is this massive structure abandoned? Why has North Korea left it unfinished for so long? In this article, we’ll explore the history, construction challenges, and possible reasons behind its mysterious emptiness.

The Vision Behind the Ryugyong Hotel

In the 1980s, North Korea was locked in an intense rivalry with South Korea, not just in politics but also in economic and architectural achievements. In 1986, South Korea’s capital, Seoul, was preparing to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, marking its rise as a global power. To counter this, North Korea wanted to showcase its own development with an ambitious project: the world’s tallest hotel.

Thus, in 1987, North Korea began constructing the Ryugyong Hotel, a 330-meter (1,080-foot) skyscraper with 105 floors. The name “Ryugyong” means “Capital of Willows,” an ancient name for Pyongyang. The hotel was designed to have over 3,000 rooms, multiple restaurants, and a revolving restaurant at the top, providing a panoramic view of the city.

If completed on time, the Ryugyong Hotel would have been the tallest hotel in the world, surpassing anything South Korea had built. It was intended to host foreign businesspeople and tourists, symbolizing North Korea’s technological and economic strength.

The Collapse of Construction

Despite its ambitious start, construction came to a sudden halt in 1992, after five years of work. By then, the Soviet Union had collapsed, leading to a major economic crisis in North Korea. The country, heavily dependent on Soviet aid, faced severe food shortages, economic decline, and famine.

With the economy in shambles, the government could no longer afford to continue construction. The Ryugyong Hotel, which had already cost an estimated $750 million (around 2% of North Korea’s GDP at the time), was abandoned. The skeletal structure of the hotel stood as a concrete ghost in the Pyongyang skyline, an embarrassing symbol of North Korea’s failed ambitions.

Structural Issues and Construction Problems

Even if North Korea had the money to finish the hotel, serious structural issues made completion difficult. Reports suggest that the concrete used in construction was of poor quality, which could have made the building unsafe. Additionally, early designs did not meet modern architectural standards, raising concerns about stability and feasibility.

For nearly two decades, the hotel remained an empty shell, with its gaping windows and unfinished exterior making it one of the strangest abandoned buildings in the world.

A New Attempt at Revival

In 2008, after years of silence, North Korea unexpectedly restarted work on the Ryugyong Hotel. The Egyptian telecommunications company Orascom agreed to invest in the project, as they had also signed a deal to develop North Korea’s mobile phone network.

Orascom helped cover the unfinished concrete exterior with glass panels, giving the hotel a sleek, modern look. By 2011, the building appeared completed from the outside, but the interior remained largely empty. No rooms were furnished, no guests were welcomed, and the hotel remained closed to the public.

The Mystery of the Empty Hotel

Even after its exterior renovation, the Ryugyong Hotel has never officially opened. Various explanations exist for why North Korea has kept the massive building unoccupied:

1. Economic Limitations

North Korea’s economy is still struggling due to international sanctions and limited foreign investment. Even if the country wanted to finish the hotel, the cost of installing electricity, plumbing, furniture, and other amenities would be enormous. Given that North Korea has other urgent economic priorities, spending money on a luxury hotel that few foreign tourists could visit makes little sense.

2. Lack of Tourists

North Korea is one of the world’s most isolated countries, and tourism remains tightly controlled. While some foreign visitors do enter the country, the numbers are too low to support a massive 3,000-room hotel. With limited demand, opening such a large facility would be impractical.

3. Infrastructure Challenges

Even if the hotel were finished, Pyongyang lacks the supporting infrastructure needed for a high-end hotel. There are no large international airports nearby, and the city does not have the commercial or business activity required to sustain a luxury skyscraper.

4. Political Considerations

The North Korean government is highly sensitive to how the country is perceived. If the hotel were to open and fail to attract guests, it could be seen as an embarrassment. Keeping it closed while maintaining its impressive exterior allows the regime to continue presenting it as a sign of progress without revealing its failures.

5. Potential Future Use

Some analysts believe that North Korea still has long-term plans for the Ryugyong Hotel. If the country ever opens up to foreign business or experiences economic improvement, the hotel could finally be completed and used as a symbol of national success. Until then, it remains a dormant project with potential.

A Symbol of North Korea’s Contradictions

The Ryugyong Hotel is often called the “Hotel of Doom” due to its long history of failure. However, it is more than just an unfinished building; it represents North Korea’s contradictions.

On the one hand, the hotel is an impressive feat of engineering and ambition. It stands as the tallest unoccupied building in the world, a striking monument that dominates Pyongyang’s skyline. On the other hand, it reflects the challenges of North Korea’s economic mismanagement, international isolation, and failed ambitions.

To this day, the hotel remains closed to the public, with no signs of opening anytime soon. Occasionally, lights are turned on at the top, and propaganda videos are projected onto its surface, making it appear functional from the outside. But inside, it remains largely empty—a hollow giant standing in the heart of one of the world’s most secretive nations.

Conclusion

The mystery of the Ryugyong Hotel continues to fascinate people around the world. Whether it will ever be completed or remain a permanent monument to failed ambition is unknown. What is clear, however, is that this enormous, empty skyscraper perfectly symbolizes the strange and secretive nature of North Korea itself.

For now, the hotel remains an enigma—a towering, glass-covered shell with no guests, no visitors, and no clear future.