Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea | NK News
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September 21, 2026Sep 21, 2026

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Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea

South Korean city brings American coffee giant to observatory overlooking DMZ, seeking to promote freedom — and tourism

South Koreans can now order mocha frappuccinos within sight of North Korean soldiers, following a border city’s unconventional bid to turn Cold War-era tensions into cold brew-driven tourism.

The coffee giant Starbucks opened its newest location at a border observatory in Gimpo on Friday, offering customers the opportunity to sip lattes while looking into a DPRK border village less than a mile away.

The irony of opening an American chain right across from the famously isolated communist state was not lost on Gimpo officials, who called the new Starbucks location “a symbol of robust security on the Korean Peninsula