The Tragic Story of the Ryugyong Hotel: From Grand Project to Silent Tomb

🏢The Ryugyong Hotel was intended to be the tallest hotel in the world, projecting North Korean might.

🚧Construction of the hotel came to a halt in 1992, leaving it as an unfinished eyesore.

🌾The hotel became a symbol of North Korea's economic decline and the devastating famine of the 1990s.

🏗️The unique design of the hotel, resembling a pyramid, was intended to ensure the weight of the concrete was distributed evenly.

🐸During the famine, there were rumors of people resorting to eating frogs and even alleged cases of cannibalism.

Why was the Ryugyong Hotel never completed?

—The hotel's construction was halted in 1992 due to a combination of economic decline and the North Korean government's inability to secure necessary foreign investment.

What caused the North Korean famine of the 1990s?

—The famine was primarily caused by a combination of factors, including mismanagement of the agricultural sector, soil erosion, and the loss of foreign subsidies after the collapse of the USSR.

What is the significance of the Ryugyong Hotel?

—The hotel symbolizes the grand ambitions of the North Korean regime and the subsequent economic decline and humanitarian crisis that unfolded in the 1990s.

Did the famine affect all regions of North Korea?

—Yes, the famine affected the entire country, with widespread food shortages, malnutrition, and population flight to neighboring countries, such as China.

What is the current state of the Ryugyong Hotel?

—After years of being an unfinished eyesore, the hotel is now being renovated in an attempt to revive the project, although it remains largely unoccupied and incomplete.

00:00The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang was initially intended to be the tallest hotel in the world and a symbol of North Korean might.

07:22Construction of the hotel came to a halt in 1992 due to a combination of economic decline and the North Korean government's inability to secure necessary foreign investment.

11:52The hotel became a symbol of North Korea's economic decline and the devastating famine of the 1990s, known as the Arduous March.

14:49During the famine, there were rumors of people resorting to eating frogs and even alleged cases of cannibalism.

18:18The estimated death toll during the North Korean famine of the 1990s ranges from 2.5 million to 3.5 million, equivalent to 10% of the country's population.