‘Deathtrap’ theme park, ski ‘slaves’ & city wrecked by cowboy builders – Kim Jong-un’s most disastrous vanity projects
NORTH Korean despot Kim Jong-un loves to dream big, but his grandiose projects often turn into massive nightmares.
From deserted ski resorts to crumbling luxury apartments, many of his long-plotted masterpieces are more like monuments to failure.
Some have been branded death traps, with shoddy construction leaving buildings teetering on the edge of disaster.
Others, like his bizarre Benidorm knock-off, remain stuck in limbo, gathering dust instead of tourists.
Even the infamous Ryugyong Hotel – a 105-storey monstrosity – has become a laughing stock, still unopened decades later.
These vanity projects were meant to showcase North Korea’s “might” but have instead revealed a nation struggling under its own delusions of grandeur.
Here, we take a closer look at Kim Jong-un’s panned designs.
Benidorm knock-off
Kim’s attempt to bring the sandy beaches of Benidorm to North Korea hasn’t gone exactly how he thought it would.
Envisioned as a sprawling beach resort capable of accommodating up to 100,000 visitors, it has been said that the leader’s intention is to create a coastal wonderland for tourists.
Kim and his officials were so impressed after a visit to Spain‘s Costa Blanca in 2017 that they decided to build a replica in the isolated country.
Unfortunately, the project has experienced multiple delays.
Initially slated to open in 2019, its completion has been postponed several times, with the latest target set for June 2025.
Challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, funding shortages, and material procurement issues have slowed its progress.
But Kim is determined. This week he vowed that the resort will open this year after touring the site with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who has been tipped to be his successor.
If his plans come to fruition, the resort will become one of the largest single-operator beach resorts in the world, with 150 buildings.
There are plans to have airfields, waterparks, and several hotels.
Deserted ski resort
Throughout his reign as North Korea’s leader, Kim has garnered a reputation for going into projects with all guns blazing.
That’s exactly what he did when he opened the Masikryong Ski Resort in 2013.
Given the country’s strict rules and treatment of tourists, many found it laughable that its intention was to attract international visitors.
It was also meant to promote winter sports within the nation.
Kim reportedly splashed a whopping £242million on the resort.
However, years later, it has struggled to draw in any visitors – largely due to North Korea’s isolation and strict travel restrictions.
And even more worryingly, in 2017, it was reported that children as young as 11 were being forced to plough snow with their hands at Kim’s ski resorts.
‘Hotel of Doom’
Construction of this eerie 105-story pyramid-shaped skyscraper began in 1987, aiming to be the world’s tallest hotel.
However, due to economic difficulties and structural issues, the project was halted in 1992 and remained incomplete for decades.
Although exterior work resumed in the late 2000s, the building has yet to open to the public, becoming yet another unrealised ambition for the regime.
The hotel, which is the tallest building in the country has never hosted a single guest and has been nicknamed Hotel of Doom.
So far, the construction of the hotel has cost the regime over £600million. According to estimates, it may take another £1.6billion just to complete it.
It was meant to house 3,000 rooms and was constructed to flex North Korea’s muscles as a super power.
Last year, it was revealed that Kim is forging on with the construction work and is now planning to turn the building into a Vegas-style mega casino.
Failure to launch
On May 27 last year, a rocket carrying the Malligyong-1-1 spy satellite blasted off from North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station.
The rocket exploded during the first stage of flight.
The next day, Kim reportedly attempted to give an explanation for the failed mission, explaining it was as a result of a destruct system being activated due to malfunctioning of the “first-stage engine”.
Embarrassingly, it was the ninth satellite launch attempt and the sixth failed one in North Korea.
Tensions between South and North Korea
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently risen to their highest point in years - with Kim accelerating his weapons testing and South strengthening their joint war drills with the US.
- HOPES FOR UNITY
In January, Kim Jong-un has scrapped any effort for reunification with Seoul.
The dictator shut down several government bodies tasked with promoting reconciliation with South Korea.
He was quoted saying: “We don’t want war but we have no intention of avoiding it.”
Kim also appeared to have blown up a major monument in North Korea’s capital that symbolised hope for unity.
The move is thought to have been a deliberate choice by the dictator, signalling his refusal to unite with his country’s “enemy”.
- WEAPON TESTING
From the start of 2024, North Korea has tested multiple types of missile systems.
In January, the North’s military fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile – which Washington, Seoul and Tokyo condemned as a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
A week later, North Korea tested its nuclear underwater attack drone which is reportedly capable of sparking a “radioactive tsunami”.
The US and its Asian allies have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises – which Kim calls rehearsals for invasion.
- THE BRINK OF WAR
The current South Korean government is led by president Yoon Suk Yeol, who shares hawkish view of North Korea compared to his predecessor.
He has increased efforts to collaborate with the US and Japan to combat the North’s aggressive moves in a bid to deter the war.
In turn, Kim threatened to “annihilate” Seoul if provoked and vowed to enhance his country’s ability to deliver a nuclear strike on the US and America’s allies in the Pacific.
Experts say that Kim is trying to stoke up anger by conducting more missile tests and possibly launching small-scale physical attacks on its neighbour to meddle with South Korea’ s elections in April.
‘Disneyland’ flop
In a desperate attempt to boost morale in the hermit state, North Korea has kept its answer to Disneyland open – despite many rides looking beyond repair.
Mangyongdae theme park has been slammed as a ‘death trap’ by its small band of visitors, who have pointed out rusting amusements that are barely operational.
The lacklustre park is a picture of sadness today with hardly any genuine visitors walking through the decaying front gates.
A rollercoaster, giant swing, merry-go-round and even a mini bullet train still stand, but worrying images of the desolate attractions show how little it has been cared for over time.
The once bright and colourful rides are now turning a depressing shade of brown after years of rusting away.
Harrowing pictures show glum parents sitting with their kids on the corroding rides and walking across the barely-populated concourses.
And it appears Kim knows just how bad it has gotten – in the early 2010s, he slammed it for having a dismal atmosphere and being in a run-down condition.
Utopian city wrecked by cowboy builders
As the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim cannot be seen taking accountability for anything that goes wrong in the country.
This was the case in July last year when he demoted senior officials for their “irresponsible” handling of the Samjiyon construction project, which led to serious deviations and financial losses.
This project is one of his most ambitious, aiming to build a new city in the country’s north.
Envisioned as a “socialist utopia” and a “model of a highly civilised mountain city,” it includes new apartments, hotels, a ski resort, and commercial, cultural, and medical facilities.
Before long, though, Kim was left criticising senior officials for causing serious issues, including poor construction work and financial losses.
Notably, Ri Sun Chol, the minister of state construction control, was suspended for his lack of oversight.
The delays prompted Pyongyang to mobilise youth labour workers, which defectors and human rights activists likened to “slave labour”.
They allegedly get no pay, are poorly fed, and forced to work more than 12 hours a day for up to 10 years in return for better chances to enter a university or join the all powerful Workers’ Party.