Café with view of North Korea draws crowds

A Starbucks store where customers can enjoy coffee while viewing North Korea has surpassed 120,000 visitors in just seven months since opening. Although it is located within the Civilian Control Line and requires reservations and security checks, visitors continue to flock to the store for its view of North Korea.

According to Starbucks Korea, as of Monday, the Starbucks store at Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, has recorded a cumulative total of 123,000 visitors since it opened on November 29 last year.

The store is located on the second-floor observatory of Aegibong Peace Ecological Park. It measures about 132 square meters and has seating for roughly 40 people. Just 1.4 kilometers from Gaepung County in North Korea's Hwanghae Province, the location offers a clear view of the Jo River, where the Han and Imjin rivers meet and flow into the West Sea. The Gaepung County area in North Korea is also visible to the naked eye without a telescope.

The park is situated within the Civilian Control Line, so visitors must make a reservation in advance and present identification upon entry. Daily entry is limited to a maximum of 2,000 people. The store operates from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which is shorter than typical store hours.

Despite limited access, the store has become popular among tourists, earning the nickname "Starbucks with a North Korea view," and the number of visitors continues to grow steadily. According to Starbucks, the store draws an average of about 1,000 visitors on weekends, more than twice the weekday average. With many family customers, food product sales are about 30 percent higher than at regular locations.

The number of visitors to Aegibong Peace Ecological Park is also on the rise. From January to April this year, the park welcomed approximately 129,000 visitors, more than double the number during the same period last year. The number of foreign visitors also rose sharply, increasing from a monthly average of 1,300 to about 3,300 during the same period, a gain of 2,000.

A Starbucks representative said, "The fact that customers can enjoy coffee in such an unusual place, inside the Civilian Control Line, is a special experience for them. Building on this popularity, we plan to introduce exclusive menus and programs available only at the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park store in the second half of the year."


김다연기자 damong@donga.com