Coffee with a view of North Korea; Starbucks opened a branch near the Korean border + pictures

Coffee lovers who are eager to see a corner of life in the most closed country in the world now have a new hangout; Starbucks branch with a view towards North Korea. The last branch of the American chain store in South Korea is located in an observation tower on the border with North Korea; Where customers can look at North Korean territory on the other side of the “Jo River” while drinking coffee.

This cafe with 30 seats is located in Egibong Peace Park in Gimpo, north of Seoul. It is close to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), on one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. Egibong Ecopark is a symbolic place between the two Koreas that reminds of peace. This area is actually the hill known as 154, where intense clashes took place during the Korean War. Customers gathered on the terrace outside the cafe on the cafe’s first day of operation, Friday, November 29. Those who did not want to bear the cold took shelter inside the cafe and drank coffee. All the windows of this cafe and all its terraces have a view of North Korea, and the terrace has binocular cameras to watch the border city of North Korea.

_{A view of a city in North Korea from the terrace of a Starbucks cafe in South Korea Photo: Reuters}

On clear days, customers can see some of the farms and low-rise buildings in Kepong township just across the border. With a decent pair of binoculars or a camera with super zoom capabilities, visitors can even glimpse everyday life in North Korea.

_{Two South Korean veterans look at North Korea while drinking coffee. Photo: Seung Juncho/Getty Images}

North Korea has always been one of the strange tourist destinations in the world and has had many people who are eager to travel. The policies governing this country have made North Korea always an option for adventurous travelers or those who are eager to observe the state of the country. Nevertheless, this country has closed its borders since the corona epidemic and has been trying for some time to provide the possibility of tourists to some parts of this country by two Chinese tour operators. Now the Starbucks branch is one of the few ways to see North Korea for residents of the southern neighbor and international tourists; Even if it is far away.