North Korea has always intrigued the world; the nation captures collective imaginations throughout history with its solitary and secretive practices. Recently, an assortment of new images offers an intriguing look into the country’s tourism sector by showcasing its hotels as never seen before.
Created by author James Scullin and photographer Nicole Reed, Hotels of Pyongyang is a new collection of images and essays that explores North Korea’s tourism sector. Scullin, a former tour guide, utilized his connections in the country to secure visas and state permission to visit ten hotels that currently cater to tourists, as well as the three-decade-long work in progress – the spaceship-shaped Ryugyong Hotel. “I chose to do hotels as the centerpiece for the project, as access to the hotels is not really a political matter (unlike most other things), meaning the project was possible without excessive red tape. Moreover, no matter how many tourists are in North Korea, and the number is often small, the hotels are still maintained. This leaves the hotels as well-preserved Soviet artifacts unique to Pyongyang.
This book showcases unique brutalist structures and architecture, along with vintage interiors on display in many of the unchanged hotels in the city. It also includes portraits of stoic, uniformed staff at the different hotels, and amenities such as swimming pools, bowling alleys, and karaoke rooms. Featured accommodations include Pothonggang Hotel, Yanggakdo Hotel, Sosun Hotel, and Rakrang Hotel.
James Scullin shared, “The main thing I learned from this experience is that creativity finds a way even in authoritarian countries like North Korea. With regards to clothing, behavior, and street life, North Korea is rather uniform. However, within these hotels, individuals have been given license to design dining halls, lobbies, and karaoke rooms in a unique fashion. This creativity stems from individuals who have not been particularly exposed to the rest of the world, resulting in aesthetics that are largely without outside influence.”
For more information on Hotels of Pyongyang, visit the official website.
