Though North Korea’s second launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile made headlines last week, a second project was quietly unveiled in Pyongyang: renovations around the capital’s biggest landmark.
The 105-story, futuristic, pyramid-shaped hotel is the world’s largest unoccupied building. There have been decades of speculation and delays, with rumors that the building might not be structurally sound, reports Bloomberg.
Walls set up to keep people out of the construction site were pulled down to mark the anniversary of the Korean War armistice. The lack of walls revealed two new walkways leading up to the building and a new propaganda sign, “Rocket Power Nation.”
Work on the building started in 1987 and it was supposed to open in 1989. It would have been the world’s tallest hotel. But a severe economic crash and famines in the late 1990s left North Korea with little money for the hotel’s construction. After nearly a decade of no work on the building, Egypt’s Orascom Group helped pay to complete the exterior in 2011.
The anniversary of the Korean War armistice is a major holiday in North Korea, and for more than a week leading up to it, Bloomberg reports, “solider-builders” could be seen at the site in central Pyongyang. It remains to be seen if this work is actually a step towards finishing the project or an effort to make better use of the land around it.
Pyongyang has been underground redevelopment since Kim assumed power in late 2011. Several major high-rise areas have been completed and the city also has a new international airport.
On Friday, North Korea test-launched its second ICBM, which many experts believe demonstrated that North Korea’s weapons can theoretically reach most of the United States.
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