A Starbucks has opened in South Korea with a view of... North Korea
Viewing North Korea, one of the most inaccessible, anti-Western countries from the tables of a famous American coffee shop - could there be a greater paradox? A Starbucks has just opened in South Korea with a terrace with a view of North Korea.
In the city of Gimpo, South Korea, a new Starbucks location has opened in the Aegibong Peace Ecopark on the border with North Korea. The American coffee shop offers 30 seats and a unique view from the terrace, allowing you to see deep into North Korea by crossing its borders. On the north side of the Han-gang River, tourists can spot the village of Amsil in the Kaesŏng region of southern North Korea. The cafe has quickly become a tourist attraction, with long queues forming since the first day it opened.
Café with a view of North Korea
If you don't like boring and standard cafes, then the establishment in Gimpo, 50 kilometres from Seoul, is definitely for you. Having a coffee on a cloudless day with a view of your North Korean neighbour is definitely an unusual and exciting experience. The location of the new Starbucks, the Aegibong Peace Ecopark, has long been known as a good spot to observe a bit of North Korean life. Now, through a telescope, it will be possible to get a sneak peek at what life is like in one of the world's harshest totalitarianisms, while sipping a tasty latte and passing through a military checkpoint beforehand.
Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg