North Korea's tallest building is an abandoned hotel that has never hosted a single guest — take a closer look at the 'Hotel of Doom'

Talia LakritzJul 29, 2020, 22:53 IST

A traffic policeman stands in front of the Ryugyong Hotel in 2019.Dita Alangkara/AP

Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, is the tallest unoccupied building in the world.
Construction on the "Hotel of Doom" began in 1987 and has stopped and started several times over three decades due to North Korea's economic woes.
For now, one side of the 1,080-foot building has been outfitted with LED screens used for propaganda light shows.

At 1,080 feet, North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is the tallest unoccupied building in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

The 105-story "Hotel of Doom," which is also North Korea's tallest building, has never hosted a single guest, but it remains a subject of international fascination.

Here's the story behind the abandoned skyscraper that dominates the capital city's skyline.

Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel began in Pyongyang in 1987, but halted due to economic troubles in North Korea.

The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 1990. Vincent Yu/AP

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, North Korea lost its main trading partner and source of aid, spurring an economic crisis.

The hotel reached its full height in 1992, but the inside was never completed.

A traffic policeman stands in front of the Ryugyong Hotel in 2019. Dita Alangkara/AP

The Ryugyong Hotel is 105 stories tall and is sometimes referred to as the 105 Building.

To this day, it has never hosted a single guest.

Ongoing construction of the Ryugyong Hotel in 2010. Eric Lafforgue/Art In All Of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

Despite its aversion to foreign visitors, North Korea does have several functional hotels in Pyongyang. Until the Ryugyong Hotel is completed, the Yanggakdo International Hotel is the city's largest, and the Ryanggang Hotel is widely regarded as the fanciest.

Its pyramid shape dominates the Pyongyang skyline from miles away.

The Ryugyong Hotel seen from a road outside Pyongyang in 2011. Greg Baker/AP

Each of the building's three sections, which join together at the top, are 328 feet (100 meters) long, according to Atlas Obscura.

At the very top of the building, an eight-story cone-shaped section was supposed to feature revolving restaurants.

The top of the Ryugyong Hotel in 2015. Damir Sagolj/Reuters

It remains empty, like the rest of the hotel.

More external work began on the hotel in 2008 with the installation of glass panels over its entire surface.

Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel in 2010. Eric Lafforgue/Art In All Of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

An Egyptian contractor, the Orascom group, took over the project and revived construction in 2008, according to Reuters.

It would cost an estimated $2 billion to finally finish the Ryugyong Hotel, according to Reuters.

A crane on the roof of the Ryugyong Hotel. Eric Lafforgue/Art In All Of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

North Korea's gross domestic product is around $40 billion, according to the CIA's World Factbook. That makes the cost of finishing the building around 5% of the country's entire GDP.

In the meantime, North Korea has found other uses for the building.

Fireworks around the Ryugyong Hotel to celebrate May Day in 2009. KCNA/Reuters

Pyongyang celebrated May Day in 2009 with a fireworks display framing the Ryugyong Hotel.

It serves as a dramatic backdrop for arts troupes' performances.

Members of a Socialist Women's Union propaganda troupe perform in front of the Ryugyong Hotel in 2019. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The troupes' performances usually contain propaganda messages. North Korea sent an arts troupe to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

It also provides a backdrop for propaganda messages made up of over 100,000 LED screens.

Designer Kim Yong Il stands next to his light show on the facade of the Ryugyong Hotel. Dita Alangkara/AP

In 2018, lighting designer Kim Yong Il created a light show comprised of political slogans and party symbols. It plays on the building's surface for several hours every night, according to the Associated Press.

The building itself still doesn't have electricity, and there's no expected completion date, but there have been new signs of construction progress.

Statues of Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill near the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang. Ng Han Guan/AP

Alek Sigley, an Australian student who was studying for his master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, tweeted about new signage above the main entrance of the hotel in June 2019. In July, Sigley was detained for a week and subsequently released after North Korean authorities accused him of committing "spying acts" against the state.

It continues to live up to its nickname, "Hotel of Doom."

The Ryugyong Hotel rises above the city skyline, shrouded by a layer of mist. Wong Maye-E/AP

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