5The Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
Also known as the “Hotel of Doom,” the Ryugyong Hotel towers ominously over the capital city of Pyongyang. Construction on this 105-story triangular tower back in 1987. Since then, it has cost the equivalent of the nation’s total gross domestic product. This overly-lavish landmark sticks out like an irresponsible “sore thumb” in a country where roughly 10.5 million citizens are undernourished. It has been beset by both construction and funding issues.
This 3,000-room hotel was supposed to open its doors in 2012 but as this goes to press, it is still incomplete, unopened, and entirely unused. The development was slowed by several different reasons including electricity shortages and just plain poor quality materials. According to announcements made in the state media in March 2019, there are new plans to resume work on the unfinished skyscraper. Part of these plans includes erecting a pair of neighboring sail-shaped skyscrapers inspired by Dubai’s distinctive Burj Al Arab hotel. The tower’s incomplete exterior has been damaged by exposure to the elements over the years, and the estimated cost for completing the structure would be the equivalent of an additional $2 billion.
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