Welcome to Aegibong Starbucks in Gimpo -- less than an hour's drive from South Korea's capital Seoul but a world away from its closed-off northern neighbour less than two kilometres (1.2 miles) across the Han river.Perched on a hilltop beneath the Aegibong Peace Ecopark observatory where telescopes peek into the secluded state, the shop has drawn tens of thousands from South Korea and abroad since opening in November 2024.Kim Jong-hyun, who lives in San Diego and was visiting South Korea with his family, said it was the irony of the contrast that drew him to the hilltop.
A trip to the coffee house involves booking ahead and crossing a military checkpoint © Jung Yeon-je / AFP
"When I heard there was a Starbucks here, I naturally thought I had to come and see it for myself. It's quite unusual," he told AFP.Customers need to book ahead to enter the park that houses the coffee house.They then travel from a parking lot in a shuttle operated by park authorities and cross a military checkpoint guarded by armed South Korean marines.The journey is part of the experience -- walking the last stretch inside South Korea while looking out on agricultural and mountain landscapes in a country whose outside image the government under Kim Jong Un seeks to manage entirely.Very few foreign journalists or tourists -- mainly from allies Russia and China -- can enter North Korea, and then under tightly controlled conditions.
