Hotel Haegumgang

38.7258767°N 128.2054575°E / 38.7258767; 128.2054575

Hotel Haegumgang
Hotel Haegumgang (then Saigon Floating Hotel) in Ho Chi Minh City, 1991
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
호텔해금강
Hancha
호텔海金剛
Revised RomanizationHotel Haegeumgang
McCune–ReischauerHot'el Haegŭmgang

The Hotel Haegumgang was a floating hotel that began operations in Queensland, Australia, was moved to Vietnam in 1989, and then docked at Mount Kumgang on the east coast of North Korea between 1998 and 2023. It was demolished by the North Korean authorities in 2023. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, it "has developed something of a cult following in Australia".[1] The hotel was demolished by North Korean administration in 2022.

History

Australia

The hotel was the brainchild of Australian developer Doug Tarca and his son Peter. The design was by Swedish engineer Sten Sjöstrand, who later became a renowned maritime archaeologist in the South China Sea.[2][3][4][5] It was constructed in Singapore and opened in 1988 as the John Brewer Floating Hotel.[6] It was positioned on the John Brewer Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.[7] The seven-storey structure had nearly 200 rooms, nightclub, bars, restaurants, a helipad, and a tennis court.[6] However, the hotel soon began to struggle financially.[6] The hotel operated as the Four Seasons Barrier Reef Resort.[8]

Vietnam

The hotel was relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 1989, operating as the Saigon Floating Hotel.[9][10] It was moored in the Saigon River, near the Tran Hung Dao Statue, from 1989 to 1997.[6] Colloquially known as "The Floater", it was a popular nightspot, but again ran into financial difficulties.[6]

North Korea

The hotel was bought by the South Korean Hyundai Asan and taken to the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, which opened in 1998 on the border between North and South Korea.[6][11] Tours to the resort were suspended in 2008, after a South Korean woman was shot and killed by a North Korean soldier[12] after she left the Mount Kumgang tourist area and entered a North Korean military zone.[12]

In 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to reopen the resort.[1] In October 2019, it was reported that Kim Jong-un visited the site and criticised the facilities. He ws quoted as saying that "they are not only very backward in terms of architecture but look so shabby as they are not properly cared for. The buildings are just a hotchpotch with no national character at all." He went on to say that the "unpleasant-looking facilities" should be removed and rebuilt to "meet [North Korea's] own sentiment and aesthetic taste".[1] In January 2020, the North Korean government said that redevelopment of the site was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[13]

In March 2022, it was reported that the dismantling of the hotel had commenced.[11] In April 2022, Hyundai Asan and the South Korean Unification Ministry spoke out against North Korea's unilateral dismantling of the hotel.[14] It was reported in 2023 that the satelite images show the hotel has been demolished and removed. As of May 2023, South Korean companies and the Unification Ministry are planning to sue North Korean government for illegal destruction of property.[15]

References
  1. Shelton, Tracey (2019-10-24). "Australia's world-first floating hotel in dire straits as Kim Jong-un seeks renovations". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  2. "Sten Sjöstrand".
  3. "Hotels of North Korea: The Sea Kumgang Hotel - Koryo Tours".
  4. Rodrigo, Jennifer. History hunter underwater, New Straits Times. 7/12/2004
  5. Very Large Floating Structures, ed. by C.M. Wang, E. Watanabe, T. Utsunomiya. CRC Press, 12 Sept 2007. pg. 14. ISBN 9780203934609
  6. Smith, Carl (14 June 2018). "The bizarre story of Australia's floating hotel and its 14,000km round journey to North Korea". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  7. "The John Brewer Reef Floating Hotel: A Case-Study in Marine Environmental Monitoring" (PDF). December 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  8. Abjorensen, Norman (6 September 1987). "Tourist boom won't last, says man with the floating hotel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  9. Dennis, Anthony (18 May 1990). "Refloating a concept that sank on the Barrier Reef". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  10. "Floating Vietnam nightspot languishes in North Korean port". Thanh Nien News. 29 September 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  11. Zwirko, Colin (12 March 2020). "North Korea removing South Korean floating hotel at Kumgang resort: Imagery". NK News.
  12. Marcus, Lilit; Bae, Gawon (8 August 2022). "North Korea is destroying sites at the Mount Kumgang resort area". cnn.com.
  13. "North Korea to postpone planned demolition of Mt. Kumgang facilities, South says". NK News. 30 January 2020.
  14. Kim, Jeongmin (8 April 2022). "Seoul voices 'deep regret' over North Korea's efforts to dismantle Hyundai hotel". NK News.
  15. "Seoul to back companies suing Pyongyang for illegal use of property". koreatimes. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
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