

Photos from inside North Korean Ryugyong Hotel - lewispb
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220524161341539.54916.152296118164344

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relix
Some interesting tidbits from wikipedia [1]:

 _Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 [...] resumed in 2008 [to
be completed this year]._

 _The unfinished building was not surpassed in height by any new hotel until
the 2009 completion of the spire atop the Rose Tower in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates._

[1]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel>

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hevyw8
If you find this interesting, it will be worth your time to watch the series
Vice did on their visit to North Korea. [http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-
to-travel/vice-guide-to-n...](http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-
travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3)

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angdis
Foursquare: 0 check-ins

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michaelwascher
The travel site associated with this photo creeps me out...

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tryitnow
This got me reading up on buildings with 100+ floors.

It's interesting to note how the US basically just gave up in the early '70s:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_buildings_with_100_floo...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_buildings_with_100_floors_or_more)

What happened in the early 1970s? It seems like that was the beginning of the
decline of American power. Tall buildings construction seems symbolic of that.

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jakeonthemove
It's the same thing as with aircraft carriers - today, smaller, more
maneuverable ships (hence the focus on VTOL, as well) and drones are favored
over the huge floating islands that are basically sitting ducks.

I think the reason for no more tall buildings is the lack of space in the big
cities - nobody's going to build a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, after
all :-)...

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PakG1
[http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/broad-sustainable-
buildi...](http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/broad-sustainable-building-
instant-skyscraper/all/?pid=917&viewall=true)

edit: found the HN discussion. <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4574100>

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jakeonthemove
Oh God... not that I don't trust the Chinese (they do tend to overpromise,
though), but I really hope that building doesn't come down at the first
earthquake or fire.

Plus, building it in the middle of nowhere almost guarantees that it will
become yet another abandoned property like the famous Chinese "ghost cities"
and malls...

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PakG1
Well, the founder apparently was motivated by the whole Sichuan earthquake
thing. Article says he wanted to figure out a way to cheaply and easily build
tall buildings that were both environmentally friendly and earthquake safe.
FWIW, the article says: _Broad's design has aced 9.0-magnitude earthquake
tests._

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TazeTSchnitzel
Huh, Koryo Tours. I knew you could get to North Korea from China, but I didn't
know there were dedicated tour companies!

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iloveponies
You _have_ to use either Koryo or another government approved/run organisation
for tourism inside the DPRK.

<http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea>

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tomrod
Wow. So it's mostly unfinished inside?

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aiurtourist
Most undoubtedly. Given my non-expert outsider cursory knowledge of North
Korea, the hotel will likely never be finished and will remain for show.
They'll probably finish the main lobby and a handful of rooms — just enough to
give the impression of how grandiose it is. Keeping up appearances.

Also, consider what happens to concrete being exposed like that for two
decades. The concrete isn't meant for decades of weather, it's meant to be
enclosed. The concrete degrades and becomes unsafe. Same thing has happened
with a lot of the Dubai skyscrapers whose construction was halted, and they
were only exposed for a few years (so says a Dubai contractor friend).

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rolux
Just some background info: The new contractor, Orascom [1], has been issued a
licence to operate the North Korean 3G Network [2]. Orascom is both a
telecommunications and a construction company.

I doubt that their plan is to use the hotel exclusively as a giant antenna,
but it's not unlikely that finishing the facade was a political priority,
while operating the hotel is not.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orascom_Group>

[2]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel#Construction_res...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel#Construction_resumes)

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chippy
Sorry, but I cannot see any photos of inside the Hotel. Have they been taken
down?

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chippy
ahh, I can see one photo, a singular photo of the inside.

