Today it dominates the skyline at the hermit Republics capital- Pyongyang, an unfinished empty shell, and what many architects claim to be the ugliest building in the World or simply the Hotel of Doom.

North Korea’s recent history could be symbolized in the history of the Hotel of Doom. In 1993, funding simply ran out, as the nation fought mass food shortages and some International Trade sanctions. The Hotel must of stood there, decaying as millions were hungry, and many people simply died of starvation.

The finished shell sat dominating the hermit republic for 15 years, as Malaysia built the new symbol of its prosperity, the Petronas Tower, and China rose through economic prosperity to build the Shanghai World Financial Center. Both buildings were the tallest in the World, whilst the Ryugyong Hotel became an International joke.

But times have changed in North Korea, and the “Hotel of Doom,” is now being refurbished inside, with a proposed completion date of around 2012. Whilst the Government of this strange land still survive, and have even joined the Nuclear club in late 2008.

Once the building opens it may be late, but the building itself will become an everlasting symbol of the fortunes of North Korea, and the ambitions of its leaders. Many say it is a “white” elephant, but it is destined to become a “great symbol” to the leaders of the Worlds last remaining Stalinist state.