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<!-- MyWikiBiz users, note... Text that appears between these brackets are merely remarks. --> <!-- They do not appear in the actual page. --> <!-- The following is a simple Infobox designed to identify a COMPANY. You should feel free to add your own content to any of the missing elements. The few items pre-filled here are intended to "just get you started" with some basic formatting and semantic tagging. --> {{Infobox_Company | company_name = [[Company_Name::Ryugyong Hotel]] | company_type = [[Company_Type::State owned]] | company_logo = [[Image:Ryugyeong_Hotel_on_February_2011.jpg|200px]] | genre = | foundation = [[Year_Started::1987]] | founder = | location = [[City::Pyongyang]], [[Country_Name::North Korea]] | industry = | products = <!-- You can list the company's products here. --> | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = <!-- Link to a parent company here. --> | subsid = <!-- List any subsidiary operations here. --> | owner = <!-- Useful for privately or closely-held firms. --> | contact = | reference = <!-- Reference items help facilitate search engine optimization (SEO) -->[[Latitude]]: [[Latitude::39.036389|39° 2′ 11″ N]]<br>[[Longitude]]: [[Longitude::125.730556|125° 43′ 50″ E]] | footnotes = }} The '''Ryugyong Hotel''' ({{lang-ko|류경호텔}}) (sometimes [[Anglicization|anglicized]] as '''Ryu-Gyong Hotel''' or '''Yu-Kyung Hotel'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreanorth/pyongyang/105building.php|title=105 Building, Pyongyang, Korea, North|publisher=Asian Historical Architecture|accessdate=2010-02-11}}</ref>) is a 105-[[storey|story]] [[skyscraper]] under construction in [[Pyongyang]], [[North Korea]]. Its name ("capital of [[willow]]s") is also one of the historic names for Pyongyang.<ref>{{cite book|last=Funabashi|first=Yoichi|title=The Peninsula Question: A Chronicle of the Second Northern Korean Nuclear Crisis|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|date=2007|page=50|isbn=0-8157-3010-1}}</ref> The building is also known as the '''105 Building''',<ref name=Emporis/> a reference to its number of floors. Construction began in 1987 with planned completion in 1989. However, after several delays, construction was eventually halted in 1992; the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|fall of the Soviet Union]] had resulted in widespread economic disruptions in North Korea and shortages of raw materials. The building stood [[topping off|topped out]] but without windows or interior fittings for the next sixteen years. Construction resumed in April 2008 under the supervision of the [[Orascom Group]] of [[Egypt]], which has invested heavily in the North Korean [[mobile telephony]] and [[construction]] industries.<ref name=IFES/> The company completed exterior work on the building in 2011, and interior work on the building's 360,000 square metres (3,900,000 sq ft) of floor space will continue until 2012 or later. Orascom has stated that the building will contain restaurants, hotel accommodation, apartments, and business facilities. The building rises to a height of {{Convert|330|m|ft}}, making it the most prominent feature of Pyongyang's [[skyline]] and by far the largest structure in North Korea. Construction of the Ryugyong was intended to be completed in time for the [[13th World Festival of Youth and Students]] in June 1989; had this been achieved, it would have held the title of [[List of tallest hotels in the world|world's tallest hotel]]. 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]]. The Ryugyong Hotel is currently the world's [[List of tallest buildings in the world|40th tallest building]] (alongside the [[China World Trade Center Tower III]]) in terms of total height and has the 5th [[List of buildings with 100 floors or more|highest number of floors]]. ==History== ===Background=== <!--Cannot confirm this paragraph, the reference is not available online--> The plan for a large hotel was reportedly a [[Cold War]] response to the completion of the world's tallest hotel, the [[Swissôtel The Stamford|Westin Stamford Hotel]] in [[Singapore]], in 1986 by the [[South Korea]]n company [[SsangYong Group]].<ref name="oversight"/> North Korean leadership envisioned the project as a channel for Western investors to step into the marketplace.<ref name="oversight"/> A firm, the Ryugyong Hotel Investment and Management Co., was established to attract a hoped-for US$230 million in foreign investment.<ref name="oversight"/> A representative for the North Korean government promised relaxed oversight, saying, "The foreign investors can even operate [[casino]]s, [[nightclub]]s or Japanese lounges if they want to."<ref name="oversight">{{cite journal| last=Ngor| first=Oh Kwee| date=1990-06-09| title=Western decadence hits N. Korea| journal= Japan Economic Journal| page=12}}</ref> North Korean construction firm Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers (also known as Baekdu Mountain Architects and Engineers) began construction on a pyramid-shaped hotel in 1987.<ref name=IFES>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/m05/s10/content.asp?nkbriefNO=207&GoP=1|title= Orascom and DPRK to Complete Ryugyong Hotel Construction|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date= 2008-05-20|accessdate=2010-02-09}}</ref><ref name="almanac">{{cite book|title=Almanac of Architecture & Design|editor=Cramer, James P.; Jennifer Evans Yankopolus|publisher=Greenway Publications|location=[[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]|date=2006|edition=7th|page=368|isbn=0-9755-654-27}}</ref> The ''Washington Post'' says that the hotel was started to upstage a 63-story South Korean hotel that was built for the [[1988 Summer Olympics]]<ref>{{cite news|title=N. Korea's intended jewel that drew jeers may open|first=Chico|last=Harlan|work=Washington Post|date=February 10, 2012|page=A1}}</ref>[http://www.racepacket.com] ===Building deadlock=== The hotel was scheduled to open in June 1989 for the [[13th World Festival of Youth and Students]], but problems<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/6337040/North-Korean-hotel-dubbed-the-worst-building-in-the-world-may-finally-be-finished.html |title=North Korean hotel dubbed the 'worst building in the world' may finally be finished - Telegraph |work=[[Daily Telegraph]] |publisher=Telegraph Media Group | location=London |date=16 October 2009 | last=Foreign Staff |accessdate=25 August 2010 }}</ref> with building methods and materials delayed completion. Had it opened on schedule, it would have surpassed the [[Westin Stamford|Westin Stamford Hotel]] to become [[List of tallest hotels in the world|the world's tallest hotel]],<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Beckmann |title=Pyongyang: Home to the Tallest Hotel in the World That Could, but Will Never Be |url=http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2590901 |work=[[ABC News]] |publisher=[[The Walt Disney Company]] |date=2006-10-23 |accessdate=2009-07-05 }}</ref> and been ranked the [[List of tallest buildings in the world|seventh-tallest building in the world]].<ref name=Emporis/> In 1992, after the building had reached its full architectural height,<ref name=Emporis>{{cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&id=130967&lng=3 |title=Ryugyong Hotel|accessdate=2010-02-09|work=Emporis.com}}</ref> work was halted due to a lack of funds amid electricity and food shortages in North Korea.<ref name="doom"/> Japanese newspapers estimated the cost of construction was US$750 million,<ref name="cost">{{cite journal| title=North Korea builds record-height hotel| month=November 15| year=1990| journal=Engineering News-Record| page=41}}</ref> consuming 2 percent of North Korea’s [[GDP]].<ref name="Esquire"/> For over a decade, the unfinished building sat vacant and without windows, fixtures, or fittings, appearing as a massive concrete shell.<ref name=Emporis/> A rusting construction crane at the top, which the [[BBC]] called "a reminder of the [[totalitarian]] state's thwarted ambition",<ref name=doom/> became a permanent fixture.<ref name="Forbes">{{Cite news |last=Kirk |first=Donald |publication-date=27 October 2008 |title=Grand Illusion |periodical=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|url=http://www.forbes.com/global/2008/1027/059.html |accessdate=2009-07-05 |postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> In the late 1990s, the [[European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea]] inspected the building and concluded that the structure was irreparable.<ref>{{cite book|last=Noland|first=Marcus|title=Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas|publisher=[[Peterson Institute for International Economics|Institute for International Economics]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|date=2000|page=82|isbn=0-88132-278-4}}</ref> Questions have been raised regarding the quality of the building's concrete and the alignment of its [[elevator]] shafts,<ref name=doom/> which some sources say are "crooked".<ref name="idiots"/> In a 2006 article, [[ABC News]] questioned whether North Korea had sufficient [[raw materials]] or energy for such a massive project.<ref name="ABC"/> A North Korean government official told the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' in 2008 that construction was not completed "because [North Korea] ran out of money".<ref name="boom">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-boom27-2008sep27,0,7763249.story?page=2&track=rss|title= North Korea in the midst of mysterious building boom|date= 2008-09-27 |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |accessdate=2008-12-14 | first=Barbara | last=Demick}}</ref> Even though the Ryugyong dominates the Pyongyang skyline, official information regarding the hotel and its status have proven difficult to obtain. Though mocked-up images of the completed hotel had once appeared on North Korean stamps, the North Korean government denied the building's existence for many years. The government [[Photo manipulation|manipulated]] official photographs in order to remove the structure, and excluded it from printed maps of Pyongyang.<ref name="ABC"/><ref name=boom/><ref name=doom/> The alleged problems associated with the hotel led some media sources to dub it "The Worst Building in the World",<ref name="Independent">{{Cite news |last=Herskovitz |first=Jon |publication-date=18 July 2008 |title=North Koreans revamp 'world's worst building' |work=[[The Independent]] |publisher=Independent News and Media|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-koreans-revamp-worlds-worst-building-870858.html |accessdate=2009-07-05 | location=London |postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref><ref name="Esquire">{{Cite news |last=Hagberg |first=Eva |publication-date=28 January 2008 |title=The Worst Building in the History of Mankind |periodical=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |url=http://www.esquire.com/the-side/DESIGN/hotel-of-doom-012808 |accessdate=2009-07-05 |postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> "Hotel of Doom" and "Phantom Hotel".<ref name="doom">{{cite news |title=Will 'Hotel of Doom' ever be finished? |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8306697.stm |work= BBC News|publisher= BBC |date= 15 October 2009 |accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref> On 1 January 2012, state news agency KCNA released a new propaganda poster, which showed the Ryugyong Hotel as part of the background. <ref name="KCNA">{{cite news |title=New Posters Created in DPRK |url= http://www.kcna.kp/kcnadata/kor/photo/2012/1/189393-1.jpg |work= KCNA|publisher= KCNA |date= 01 January 2012 |accessdate=2012-01-01}}</ref> ===Construction resumes=== In April 2008, after 16 years of inactivity, work on the building was restarted by the Egyptian company [[Orascom Group]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mysinchew.com/node/11909|title=Korea: N Korea Resumes Construction Of Luxury Hotel|date=2008-05-25|publisher=MySinchew|accessdate=2009-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8306697.stm |title= Will 'Hotel of Doom' ever be finished? |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=15 October 2009 |last=Staff |accessdate=25 August 2010 }}</ref> Orascom, which has entered into a [[U.S. dollar|US$]] 400 million deal with the North Korean government to build and run a [[3G]] mobile phone network, has denied that their telecommunications deal was directly related to the Ryugyong Hotel work.<ref name=doom/> It is unclear to what extent Orascom plans to complete the building. In 2008, Orascom's resident project manager stated that, at a minimum, their goal was to make the facade more attractive.<ref name="boom"/> In 2009, Orascom's chief operating officer [[Khaled Bichara]] noted that they "had not had too many problems" resolving the reported structural issues of the building, that interior work will be performed, and that a revolving restaurant will be located at the top of the building.<ref name=doom/> In July 2011, it was reported that the exterior work was complete.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/25976/ryugyong-hotel-exterior-completed/| title = Ryugyong Hotel Exterior Completed| publisher = architizer| author = Samuel Medina | date = 2011-07-22|accessdate = 2011-07-26}}</ref> Features that Orascom has installed include exterior glass panels and telecommunications antennas.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSSEO9654020080717| title = North Korea's "Hotel of Doom" wakes from its coma| publisher = Reuters| author = Herskovitz, Jon| date = 2008-07-17|accessdate = 2009-07-05}}</ref> It is unclear when the building will open. In 2008, North Korean officials stated that the hotel would be completed by 2012, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the birth of "Eternal President" [[Kim Il-sung]].<ref name="Forbes"/> According to Orascom, interior work is to be conducted after the completion of exterior work, and the building will not be ready until 2012 or beyond.<ref name =doom/> ==Architecture== The Ryugyong Hotel consists of three wings, each measuring {{Convert|100|m|ft}} long, {{Convert|18|m|ft}} wide, and sloped at a 75-degree angle, which converge at a common point to form a pinnacle. The building is topped by a truncated [[cone (geometry)|cone]] {{Convert|40|m|ft}} wide, consisting of eight floors that are intended to rotate, topped by a further six static floors. The structure was originally intended to house five [[revolving restaurant]]s, and either 3,000 or 7,665 guest rooms, according to different sources.<ref name="revolving">{{cite book|last=Randl|first=Chad|title=Revolving Architecture: A History of Buildings That Rotate, Swivel, and Pivot|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|location=[[New York City|New York]]|date=2008|page=133|isbn=978-1-56898-681-4}}</ref><ref name="idiots">{{cite book|last=Quinones|first=C. Kenneth|coauthors=Joseph Taggert|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea|publisher=[[Alpha Books]]|location=[[Indianapolis]]|date=2003|series=[[Complete Idiot's Guides]]|page=183|isbn=1-59257-169-7}}</ref> According to BBC quoting Orascom's Mr. Bichra in 2009, the Ryugyong will not be just a hotel, but rather a [[mixed-use development]], including "revolving restaurant" facilities along with "a mixture of hotel accommodation, apartments and business facilities".<ref name="doom"/> ==References== <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:1; column-count:1;"> <references /> </div> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-3249201755143117"; /* horizontal */ google_ad_slot = "3671319301"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> ===Share this page=== <sharethis /> ===Geolocation=== {{Mapit-US-cityscale|39.036389|125.730556}}

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