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Spectacular skyscraper opens in Seoul

April 3, 2017

The fifth tallest skyscraper in the world opens on Monday in the South Korean capital Seoul. The Lotte World Tower with its 123 floors in the southern district of Jamsil stands 555 meters (1,819 ft.) tall.

https://p.dw.com/p/2aYWC
Südkorea Lotter World Tower
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

The opening was marked on Sunday by a great fireworks display. The Korea Times reported that for eleven minutes 30,000 fireworks lit up the night sky to celebrate the completion of the Lotte World Tower.

The tower, with its area of 505,300 square meters of luxury residences, office space and shops, was designed by the American architect firm Kohn Pedersen Fox.  On their webpage the said that their "design melds a modern aesthetic with forms inspired by the historic Korean arts of ceramics, porcelain, and calligraphy." The tower boasts the world's highest glass-bottomed observation deck and the world's fastest elevator - taking visitors to the top in just one minute. And on the 85th floor, it also claims to have the world's highest swimming pool in a building.

Südkorea Lotter World Tower
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

South Korea's highest building boasts a gross floor area equivalent to 110 football pitches. Lotte World Tower is the world’s fifth-tallest building after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shanghai Tower, Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Saudi Arabia and One World Trade Center in New York.

is(ch/sbc (dpa)