South Korea, Oct. 25 -- After a 14,000-kilometre journey that saw it sit for more than a decade in North Korean waters, Townsville's former Barrier Reef Floating Resort - the world's first floating hotel - is now facing an uncertain future.

State media said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the removal of all "backward" and "shabby" facilities at the Mount Kumgang tourist resort, the current resting place of the 30-year-old floating hotel.

The Mount Kumgang resort, which was developed in the 1990s by South Korean companies, was once seen as an important symbol of cooperation between the two Koreas.

But during a recent inspection, Kim made it clear he was not pleased by what he saw at the resort, likening the facilities to "ma...