North Korea's unfinished hotel: Lights on in Ryugyong Hotel fuel rumours of reopening

Lights on inside North Korea's unfinished Ryugyong Hotel, the largest in the world, are fuelling rumours the skyscraper is being revived.

Construction of the 105-storey, 3000-room tower in Pyongyang began in 1987 and it was set to open in 1989. In 1992, owing to the economic crisis in North Korea, construction came to a complete halt.

Over the years, the regime has tried on several occasions to revive the project. In 2008, windows were added. In 2011, a telecommunications mast was added.

Earlier this month, Egyptian development company Orascom was recently flown in to discuss the future of the so-called "hotel of doom", reported NK News.

Orascom is the Egyptian majority shareholder of North Korea's Koryolink cellphone network.

According to NK News, a local source said: "Apparently [he's there] for a visit to the Ryugyong to see about working on that again."

At least three rooms were visibly lit at the top of the hotel during a night in October, NH News said.

Stuff.co.nz

See also: What it's really like to travel in North Korea

See also: The man who has visited North Korea more than 140 times

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