PYONGYANG, North Korea -- A foreign tour agency has released the first public photos from inside the tallest and most notorious building in North Korea: the 105-story, pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel, which remains unfinished more than 20 years after construction began.
Beijing-based Koryo Tours got a peek at the interior of the hotel in Pyongyang, the capital. Photos taken by the company Sunday show a bare concrete lobby, as well as sweeping views of Pyongyang from a viewing platform.
North Korea began building the Ryugyong in the 1980s but stopped when funding ran out in the 1990s. Exterior construction resumed three years ago, but few have been allowed inside. Koryo says it will open in two or three years.
The enormous hotel remains a source of fascination – and ridicule – for the outside world.
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Inside The Pyramid
This photo released by Koryo Group shows visitors touring the top floor of the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. After years of standing unfinished, construction on the exterior of the massive hotel resumed three years ago.
The Ryugyong Lobby
A visitor stands on the ground floor of the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. Thanks to its bizarre architecture and massive size, the hotel has attracted a lot of interest over the years.
A Sneak Peek
Beijing-based Koryo Tours got a sneak peek inside the hotel, which has been an off-limits construction site and remains a source of fascination for the outside world.
An Imposing Hotel
The pyramid-shaped hotel looms over downtown Pyongyang.
Downtown
Symmetry. (Sam Gellman Photography)
Monotony
Rows of apartments in Pyongyang. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Empty Streets
Big streets, few people. An afternoon in Kaesong. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Street Scenes
A kid plays in front of a tram in Pyongyang. The statue of Kim Il Sung is in the background. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Some Things Remain The Same
Kids being kids, in downtown Pyongyang. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Fun
A soldier rides a bumper car at a Fun Fare at night in Pyongyang. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Landscaped
A 3-second exposure of the motion at the 100,000 person Mass Games performance. The background is made up of 30,000 kids holding sign boards. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Almost Holy
Women re-enact the birth of Eternal Leader Kim Il Sung at the Mass Games performance. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Human Pixels
Kids hold signs creating an image of a North Korean flag. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Scale
Rows of performers. Mass Games. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Intricate Loveliness
Women dancers performing at the Mass Games. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Pawns
Soldiers watching the Mass games. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
The Master
A tribute to Kim Il Sung at the Mass Games. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Adults in North Korea are required to wear a pin with the image of Kim Il Sung. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
On Duty
A North Korean soldier at the De-militarization zone (DMZ) in Kaesong. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Doctrine
A young boy dressed in his pioneer uniform. Taken at the Pyongyang Fun Fare. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
Generations
A man with his son in a park in Pyongyang. (<a href="http://www.samgellman.com" target="_hplink">Sam Gellman Photography</a>)
09/27/12 04:00 AM ET EDT Associated Press