Kim Jong-un orders work on notorious Hotel of Doom skyscraper to re-start, satellite images reveal
It is thought North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un wants to finish the hotel his grandfather started
KIM Jong-un has ordered work to resume on North Korea's notorious 'Hotel of Doom' according to shocking new photo evidence.
Satellite images of the Ryugyong Hotel show a number of construction trucks now parked outside the 105-storey skyscraper in Pyongyang.
Several new buildings - possibly used to accommodate workers - have also appeared nearby, while tourist snaps on the ground show cranes on the site.
German tourist Till Mosler, who recently visited Pyongyang, said his guides had boasted of plans to open the hotel, which has been an empty shell since 1987.
He said: "During my stay I realised some work activity around the entrance hall and surroundings. It seems the area around the huge building will be prepared.
"Also our Korean guides told us that there might be plans to open some parts of the building for public or offices. But not the whole building so far as they know."
Swiss visitor Sophie Delaloye said her group was never too close to the hotel, but was told by her chaperons it's still under construction.
"The guides didn't say much," she recalled. "They seemed both proud of the hotel and somehow embarrassed."
The burst of activity at the 1,080ft hotel follows the removal of a large wall blocking access to the site.
The wall, which carried the slogan "move forward to final victory", was removed at some point over the summer.
North Korea expert Markus Bell, of the University of Sheffield, said completion of the hotel had symbolic importance for Kim.
He said: "The Ryugyong hotel is part of a broader development push by the young leader, along with several other projects, including constructing new apartment blocks in the capital, a new airport, and a ski resort.
"It's part of Kim's effort to demonstrate to the people that things are improving under his leadership.
"The hotel is likely to be of particular importance to Kim because construction started under his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
"Finishing construction would further connect him to his grandfather's leadership. Most North Koreans I've spoken with over the years remember Kim Il-sung fondly."
However, Dr Bell said the completion was unlikely to benefit ordinary citizens.
"As with many of these projects, it's unlikely that the average North Korean will ever step foot inside the Ryugyong, let alone stay there," he said. "This is a project that will only benefit the elites of North Korea.
"As such, the money, time, and manpower that's been invested on this project could have been used in far more beneficial ways."
It comes as North Korea was hit by a wave of sanctions as nuclear war tensions grow between it and the rest of the world.
