Starbucks launches a cafe overlooking North Korea.

Have you been so curious about what North Korea looks like even from afar while sipping your favorite Starbucks drink? Starbucks' latest outpost in South Korea is a must-visit. Perched on an observation tower at the DMZ, this unique cafe offers breathtaking views of North Korea while you sip on your favorite beverage.

About 20 miles north of Seoul, the 30-seat cafe is situated in Gimpo City's Aegibong Peace Ecopark. It is next to one of the most highly armed frontiers in the world, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

On Friday, November 29, the cafe opened for business, and the observation deck outside was crowded with patrons. Those who wanted to stay warm crowded inside drinking coffee.

“I wish I could share this tasty coffee with the people living in North Korea right in front of us,” local resident Baek Hea-soon, 48, told Reuters.

Another patron was an 80-year-old Vietnam War veteran named Lim Jong-chul. "With this cafe here, it feels more peaceful and reassuring," he remarked, adding that the idea of security had previously felt stiff and uncomfortable.

Since no treaty to end the 1950–1953 Korean War was ever signed, North and South Korea are officially still at war. After an armistice, the fighting stopped.

According to Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo, the place is "unique" since it embodies the "charm of Korean culture."

The site's historical value has been used by the local government to increase tourism.

Several observation towers are located along the border between Korea and its allies in the ecopark, which was formerly Hill 154. Starbucks draws people from a distance by providing an alternative to DMZ tours. By the end of this year, almost five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, North Korea plans to restore limited overseas travel.

The cafe's grand opening arrives at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. Just months ago, in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared an end to inter-Korean dialogue and reconciliation efforts. Tensions escalated further in October when Kim threatened to use nuclear weapons against South Korea in response to the South Korean president's warning of "regime termination" if the North used nuclear force.