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17 June 2006

It's only just occurred to me that North Korea is covered by Google Maps.
Unfortunately it's not annotated. Some really interesting architecture, too. Some monolithic architech.

Is this the Ryugyong Hotel?
posted by porpoise 17 June | 10:32
Aye, that it is, porpoise.

Panmunjom ... and the Bridge of No Return
posted by stilicho 17 June | 11:36
WOW. That is the Ryugyong... that building fascinates me.
posted by BoringPostcards 17 June | 11:36
North Korea was one of the first things I looked at when I downloaded Google Earth.

That and Area 51.
posted by interrobang 17 June | 15:07
I couldn't find the 4077th.
posted by stilicho 17 June | 16:43
What a building. Looks like an evil fortress from some video game or something. Compare the Combine Citadel with Ryugyong - Valve wanted the Citadel visible in all outside scenes in Half Life 2, and according to one website... "The same sense of pride that drove them to build the Ryugyong has driven the North Koreans to an almost pathological level of denial about the building. It’s no longer on the city’s maps. Guides claim not to know where it is. No one speaks of it. This state of affairs is made all the more surreal by the fact that the almost incomprehensibly massive Ryugyong is visible from every part of Pyongyang."
Humans are weird.
posted by Zack_Replica 17 June | 22:18
...and I just found this page which identifies a lot of landmarks on the map. http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=39038520&x=125743117&z=15&l=0&m=h
posted by Zack_Replica 17 June | 22:23
Good find, Zack_Replica on the wikimapia... (!?)

The denial thing is... odd but sorta understandable. Wonder why they don't just tear it down (it's a condemned and uninhabitable building) or something?
posted by porpoise 18 June | 11:19
I think if they did, it'd be an admission of failure. Even though you "don't notice" the white elephant in the room, you'll definitely alert people to it's presence when it's gone - if you know what I mean.
Also, I know people are impossible to spot with Google Maps, but did you happen to notice all those roads and highways and the very very few cars on them? Creepy.
posted by Zack_Replica 18 June | 16:57
So we made a thing. || Aigh....

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