South Korea’s SEOULStarbucks, one of the most well-known, if somewhat boring, representations of global capitalism, has a talent for picking unusual locations for its coffee shops. One is a defunct power plant in London, another is an old former mosque in Cordoba, and a third is a 1,200-year-old castle in Prague.
As tensions between South Korea and its hermetic neighbor to the north have increased recently, their most recent endeavor is a journey into the final frontier of the Cold War.
As of Friday, tourists can enjoy views of the North Korean border and the demilitarized zone from the Aegibong Peace Ecopark near Gimpo, South Korea.
To be among the first in a queue of hundreds outside the coffeehouse’s newest location, Baek Hea-soon got up at 4 a.m. on Friday and drove from the adjacent city of Gimpo, which is 30 miles northwest of Seoul.
As she watched the front line of a conflict that is officially still ongoing, 48-year-old Baek told Reuters, “I wish I could share this tasty coffee with the people living in North Korea right in front of us.” After their 1950–53 combat ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas are still at war.
It is evident that tensions exist between the two Koreas.
In an effort to abandon its long-standing aspiration for unification, Pyongyang demolished portions of the inter-Korean highways and rail links on its side of the border last month. This year, North Korea has also thrown thousands of balloons across the border tied to manure, old batteries, and trash bags; one of them landed in Seoul’s presidential residence.
However, the heavily guarded border that separates the Korean peninsula has long been a surprising attraction for both domestic and foreign travelers, and now Gimpo is joining the fray.
The city has also introduced a new public bus line that will transport visitors to the park after they have cleared a military checkpoint, in addition to the Starbucks.
Kim Byung-Soo, the mayor of Gimpo City, told NBC News that people used to perceive this region close to the North Korean border as a somber and dreary place. However, this location, which is perceived as youthful, bright, and welcoming, has the potential to become into a significant tourist destination for security (and) peace.
Customers snapped photos of the Starbucks emblem on their mugs against the northern backdrop while the mayor was speaking. Customers of the coffee shop may observe the environmental preservation area that is located within the civilian-free DMZ, as well as a North Korean town on Songaksan Mountain.
Despite Kim Jong Un’s frequent threats to throw nuclear weapons across the border, some customers find solace in sipping their coffee while looking out over farmland and a North Korean village.
“I feel like I can look at North Korea, a country divided from us, with a bit more calm and peace of mind, having a cup of coffee here,” Lim Jong-Chul, an 80-year-old Vietnam War veteran, told NBC News. The idea of security used to feel stiff and tense, but now that this café is here, it feels more relaxed and comforting.
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