North Korean despot Kim Jong-un loves to dream big, but his grandiose projects often turn into huge nightmares.
From deserted ski resorts to crumbling luxury apartments, many of his long-planned masterpieces are more like monuments to failure.
Some have been branded death traps, whose poor construction leaves buildings on the brink of disaster.
Others, like its strange imitation of Benidorm, remain stuck in limbo, collecting dust instead of tourists.
Even the infamous Ryugyong Resort, a 105-story monstrosity, has become a laughing stock, decades later still unopened.
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These vanity projects were intended to showcase North Korea’s “power,” but instead have revealed a nation struggling under its own delusions of grandeur.
Here, we take a closer look at Kim Jong-un’s criticized designs.
Benidorm imitation
Kim’s attempt to bring the Benidorm area beaches to North Korea has not gone exactly as he thought.
Conceived as an extensive beach resort capable of hosting up to 100,000 visitors, it has been said that the leader’s intention is to create a coastal paradise for tourists.
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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.
Its inauguration, initially planned for 2019, has been postponed several times and the latest goal is 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 promised that the complex will open this year after touring the site with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who has been considered his successor.
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If its 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, water parks and several hotels.
Deserted ski resort
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Throughout his reign as North Korea’s leader, Kim has earned a reputation for going into projects with all guns blazing.
That’s exactly what he did when he opened Masikryong Ski Resort in 2013.
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Given the country’s strict rules and treatment of tourists, many found it ridiculous that its intention was to attract international visitors.
It was also intended to promote winter sports in the country.
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Kim reportedly spent a whopping £242 million on the resort.
However, years later, it has struggled to attract visitors, largely due to North Korea’s isolation and strict travel restrictions.
Even more worrying, in 2017 it was reported that children as young as 11 were forced to remove snow with their hands at Kim ski resorts.
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‘Resort of Doom’
Construction of this mysterious 105-story pyramid-shaped skyscraper began in 1987, with the goal of being the tallest lodge in the world.
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However, due to financial difficulties and structural problems, the project was stopped in 1992 and remained incomplete for decades.
Although exterior work resumed in the late 2000s, the building has not yet been opened to the public, becoming another unrealized ambition of the regime.
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The lodge, which is the tallest building in the country, has never hosted a single guest and has been nicknamed the Resort of Doom.
So far, the lodge has cost the regime more than £600m to build. According to estimates, another £1.6 billion may be needed just to complete it.
It was intended to house 3,000 rooms and was built to flex North Korea’s muscles as a superpower.
Last year, it was revealed that Kim is moving forward with construction work and now plans to turn the building into a Las Vegas-style mega online casino.
Video of Ryugyong Resort known as ‘Resort of Doom’ in North Korea
Failed to start
On May 27 last year, a rocket carrying the Malligyong-1-1 spy satellite took off from North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station.
The rocket exploded during the first stage of the flight.
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The next day, Kim reportedly attempted to provide an explanation for the failed mission, explaining that it was due to the activation of a kill system due to a malfunctioning “first stage engine.”
Unfortunately, it was the ninth satellite launch attempt and the sixth failed one in North Korea.
Tensions between South Korea and North Korea
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently reached their highest point in years, with Kim accelerating his weapons tests and the South beefing up its joint war exercises with the United States.
In January, Kim Jong-un ruled out any attempt at reunification with Seoul.
The dictator closed several government agencies tasked with promoting reconciliation with South Korea.
He was quoted as 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 the North Korean capital that symbolized hope for unity.
The move is believed to have been a deliberate choice by the dictator, signaling his refusal to unite with the “enemy” of his country.
Since early 2024, North Korea has tested multiple types of missile systems.
In January, the North Korean 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 submarine attack drone that is reportedly capable of causing a “radioactive tsunami.”
The United States and its Asian allies have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises, which Kim calls rehearsals for an invasion.
The current South Korean government is led by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who shares a tough view of North Korea compared to his predecessor.
It has increased efforts to collaborate with the United States and Japan to combat the North’s aggressive measures in a bid to deter war.
In turn, Kim threatened to “annihilate” Seoul if provoked and promised to improve his country’s ability to launch a nuclear attack against the United States and its allies in the Pacific.
Experts say Kim is trying to stoke anger by conducting more missile tests and possibly launching small-scale physical attacks against his neighbor to meddle in South Korea’s elections in April.
The failure of ‘Disneyland’
In a desperate attempt to raise morale in the hermit state, North Korea has kept its response to Disneyland open, even though many attractions appear beyond repair.
Mangyongdae theme park has been called a “death trap” by its small group of visitors, who have pointed out rusty, barely functioning attractions.
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The dingy park is today a picture of sadness, with hardly any genuine visitors crossing the deteriorated entrance gates.
A roller coaster, a giant swing, a carousel and even a mini bullet train still stand, but worrying images of the desolate attractions show how little care has been taken over time.
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The once bright and colorful attractions are now turning a depressing shade of brown after years of rust.
Heartbreaking images show somber parents sitting with their children on the corroded rides and walking along the sparsely populated esplanades.
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And it seems Kim knows how bad things have gotten: In the early 2010s, he criticized it for having a depressing atmosphere and being in poor condition.
Utopian city destroyed by cowboy builders
As North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim cannot be seen taking responsibility 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.
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This project is one of the most ambitious and aims to build a new city in the north of the country.
Conceived as a “socialist utopia” and a “model of a highly civilized mountain city,” it includes new apartments, hotels, a ski resort, and commercial, cultural and medical facilities.
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Before long, however, Kim was left criticizing senior officials for causing serious problems, including poor construction work and financial losses.
Specifically, Ri Solar Chol, state minister of construction management, was suspended for his lack of supervision.
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The delays prompted Pyongyang to mobilize young workers, which defectors and human rights activists likened to “slave labor.”
They are allegedly unpaid, poorly fed and forced to work more than 12 hours a day for up to 10 years in exchange for better chances of entering a university or joining the all-powerful Workers’ Party.
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