GIMPO – The last remaining Cold War frontier now features a Starbucks café in South Korea, offering visitors a chance to enjoy a latte while looking across the heavily fortified border into North Korea.

On Friday (Nov 29), hundreds gathered for the grand opening of the U.S. coffee chain’s latest outlet, located at an observatory near Gimpo, roughly 50 km northwest of Seoul and close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas.

Despite heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula in recent years, the DMZ remains a popular attraction for both local and international tourists.

To reach the Starbucks, visitors must pass through a military checkpoint, though the area is less militarized than well-known border sites like the Panmunjom truce village. The observatory is separated from North Korea’s Kaepung border town, 1.4 km away, by a river designated as "neutral waters." Clear weather allows visitors to view North Korean villages through telescopes at the site.

The Korean War ended in a 1953 armistice without a peace treaty, leaving the two nations technically still at war. Tensions have escalated recently, including exchanges of balloons between the two sides—Pyongyang sending trash in retaliation for South Korean activists launching anti-regime leaflets.

Last month, North Korea destroyed inter-Korean roads and rail connections on its side of the border, prompting Seoul to warn that any use of nuclear weapons would lead to the collapse of the North Korean regime.

Baek Hea-soon, a 48-year-old resident of Gimpo, visited the Starbucks on opening day. "I wish I could share this delicious coffee with the people in North Korea," she remarked.

North Korea has faced recurring food shortages over the decades, with a devastating famine in the 1990s worsened by natural disasters like floods that destroy crops.

Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo sees the Starbucks outlet as a way to transform the DMZ’s somber reputation. "This area could become a global tourist destination symbolizing security and peace, with a youthful, vibrant, and welcoming image," he told reporters.

Starbucks, a ubiquitous presence in South Korea, operates 1,980 stores across the country as of the third quarter of 2024, according to SCK Company, which manages the chain under a licensing agreement. In 2021, Starbucks Corp sold its stake in Starbucks Korea to SCK Company and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters