The inevitable row over plans for Heathrow’s third runway will certainly get dirty and vicious. But, being the UK, it is unlikely anyone will die over it. Spare a thought for the poor chief architect of Pyongyang’s exceptionally shiny new international airport (images here). He was reportedly executed after leader Kim Jong-un toured the airport during development, but found fault. The country’s leader is reported to have said that “the designers failed to bear in mind the party’s idea of architectural beauty that it is the life and soul and core in architecture to preserve the Juche character and national identity”. Head designer Ma Won-chun has not been seen since last year. The airport, meanwhile, is said to have more than sufficient capacity to cater for the two airlines which have scheduled flights to Pyongyang.
