Started as an ambitious pet project of Korea’s leader Kim Il-sung in the 90’s the Ryugyong hotel somehow proved to be a disaster. The construction turned to waste and the unfinished building stood in the middle of Pyongyang for years.

Upon realizing that this gigantic project would be really difficult to complete, North Korea government halted the construction in 1992 and came up with a solution. They completely ignored the vast structure – the officials didn’t talk about it, media photoshopped it from the city photos, and ordinary people just got used to it the way it is.

In 2008, after being a useless piece of concrete for over 15 years, the construction was resumed. In 2011 it was announced that the exterior parts were completed. In September 2012 photos of the interior were released for the very first time. There were very few fixtures or furnishings. The hotel is still unfinished but there is still a chance that if will be finished some time in future. Or who knows, maybe it stays as a reminder of one period in North Koreas history.