By Sebin Choi and Hyunsu Yim
GIMPO, South Korea (Reuters) – The country’s last Cold War frontier now has a Starbucks cafe in South Korea where customers can see a glimpse of the militarized border in the North, all while sipping a latte.
Hundreds demonstrated on Friday at the opening of a new store of the US coffeehouse chain in a landmark near the city of Gimpo, about 50 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Seoul and close to the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas.
The DMZ has become an unlikely draw for foreign and local tourists, despite tensions on the Korean peninsula in recent years.
Tourists have to pass through a military checkpoint on the way to Starbucks, although it is located in a less well-known and less militarized area than popular tourist spots on the border like the Panmunjom truce village.
The river named as “neutral water” runs between the observation area and the border of the city of Kaepung in the north which is only 1.4 km away. On a clear day, North Korean citizens can be seen from the landmark through a telescope.
The two Koreas are still technically at war after a three-year conflict that ended in the 1953 war. A peace treaty was never signed.
In recent months, tensions have also grown over debris balloons floated from North Korea, which Pyongyang says are a response to balloons carrying anti-government leaflets sent by protesters in the South.
North Korea blew up inter-Korean roads and railways along the border last month, while Seoul warned Pyongyang that any use of its nuclear weapons would end North Korea’s sovereignty.
Baek Hea-short, a 48-year-old resident of Gimpo, arrived early on Friday to try the new Starbucks.
“I wish I could share this delicious coffee with the people of North Korea,” he said.
North Korea has in recent decades suffered severe food shortages, including famine in the 1990s, often exacerbated by natural disasters such as floods that damage crops.
Starbucks, with its international recognition, can change the “dirty and sad” border area, Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo said.
“This place can now become an important tourist destination for safety (and) peace that can be seen as young, bright and warm, as well as attracting the attention of the world,” Kim told reporters.
Starbucks is everywhere in South Korea, with 1,980 stores as of the third quarter of 2024, according to SCK Company, which operates Starbucks in the country through a license agreement.
In 2021, Starbucks Corp sold its stake in Starbucks Korea to Starbucks Coffee Korea Co, now called SCK Company, and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.