A tale of two Korean towers: One of soaring success of capitalism and the other a dark symbol of communism

 

THERE are two tallest buildings on the Korean peninsula and both stand in sharp contrast to each other.

In South Korea, the tallest building is the Lotte World Tower located in Seoul and across the border to North Korea is the Ryugyong Hotel sited in its capital Pyongyang, home to more than three million people.

The 105-storey Ryugyong Hotel stands at 330m (1,080ft) and its only unique attraction is that the building is shaped like a pyramid. And that’s all about it.

Opened in 1987, the  hotel had stood empty for decades and soon became known as the “Ghost Hotel”. No tourists had ever booked into what is regarded as the tallest abandoned building in the world.

So let’s forget this haunted hotel locked behind a reclusive kingdom. Perhaps, it has been turned into chambers of torture for dissidents and opponents of the tyrannical regime.

Supreme leader Kim Jong-Un apparently doesn’t like tourists snooping into his vast empire. In fact, he has closed its borders to foreign tourists in March this year.

We moved on to the impressive Lotte World Tower. Looking from the 120th floor of the tower at a height of 486 metres through the glass walls on all sides, you get a panaromic view of the city of Seoul and the Han River.

It is even more beautiful at night with all the thousands of lights glittering below.

The 123-storey high, 555 m (1,821 ft) skyscraper is located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa district, Seoul. Its slim shape may look vulnerable but the whole structure is able to withstand major earthquakes.

It is the tallest building in South Korea and is ranked as the sixth tallest in the world. It is part of the Lotte World Mall, a sprawling shopping complex, which also boasts a luxury hotel.

The hotel is always booked unlike its poor cousin the Ryugyong Hotel up north. Opened in 2017, the tower is the pride of Seoul, a bustling city of 9.6 million people.

Last year, more than 50 million visitors have been to the tower to enjoy  the spectacular scene.

To get to the top, you take the lift and zoom!…in 60 seconds you reach floor 117 and from there you take the escalator to level 120. Here you move around the glass walls to admire the view and to take snapshots.

And below your feet you can gaze down at the traffic flow through transparent glass panels. Those who fear height just look straight ahead.

The two towers represent two very different lifestyles and systems of government.

Ryugyong symbolises a dark country whose people have been living in constant fear of a ruthless dictator who is hell-bent on reuniting the divided country by force of arms.

In contrast, Lotte World Tower stands for the towering success of capitalism and the determination of the people to reject the embrace of communism. 

Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

- Focus Malaysia