Do you like coffee? Are you curious to see one of the most enigmatic countries in the world? Combine these two passions by discovering a completely unusual experience on the border between the two Koreas. On a demilitarized observation tower, Starbucks has opened a whole new coffee with a capacity of thirty places in the Ecoparc de la Paix d’Aegibong, in the city of Gimpo, about 30 kilometers north of the South Korean capital, Seoul.
This Friday, November 29, day of its inauguration, customers were able to sip a drink while observing, through the Jo River (which separates the two countries), the North Korean landscape. With a good pair of binoculars or a camera with ultra-zoom functions, visitors can even be able to see people walking on the shore opposite, as CNN reports.
The place itself where coffee is located is not trivial. The ecoparc was originally the site of the hill 154, where the two countries and their allies fought relentlessly during the Korean War. There are also several observation laps along the border between the two camps. For the mayor of Gimpo, Kim Byung-Soo, this place is “unique” Because it represents the “Charm of Korean culture”.
Thus, local authorities have taken advantage of the historical importance of the site to stimulate tourism. For local and international tourists, this Starbucks is an alternative accessible to traditional guided tours of the demilitarized observation tower, which “Attract tons of tourists every year”according to the Korean tourism organization.
A Starbucks OpenS on South Korea’s Border With the North, Offering A View Into the Hermit Kingdom pic.twitter.com/xnr8ogbk6d
– Reuters (@reuters) November 29, 2024
The two Koreas still in conflict
“I would like to be able to share this delicious coffee with people who live in North Korea, just in front of us”says Baek Hea-Soon, 48, a local resident. But despite the peaceful atmosphere, this opening is part of a context of tensions. Indeed, North Korea and South Korea are technically still at war, because no treaty has ever been signed to end the Korean War which raged from 1950 to 1953.
Even more, in January, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un reaffirmed his hostility towards the neighbor, by dismissing any possibility that his country does not reconcile with South Korea. In October, he also threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy South Korea in the event of an attack, after the South Korean president warned that if the North used nuclear weapons, he “Would face the end of his diet”.
While North Korea is considering a timid reopening to international tourism by the end of this year, after five years of closure due to the Pandemic of Covid-19, the border remains for many fascinating curiosity. If the desire to take a look at the other side takes you, you know where to go.
