9 months into business, Starbucks at inter-Korean border still bustles

Visitors peer into North Korea from the observation deck of the Starbucks located in Gimpo Aegibong Ecopark in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Ko Dong-hwan.

GIMPO, Gyeonggi Province — Nine months after opening just 1.4 kilometers across the Jogang River from Kaepung County in Gaeseong, North Korea, Starbucks Gimpo Aegibong Ecopark remains bustling with visitors.

On Wednesday morning, nearly all of the cafe’s 20 tables were occupied. Outside, six binocular tower viewers drew visitors eager for a glimpse across the border, where signs of human activity in North Korea could be seen. A group of six Taiwanese adults murmured quietly as they gazed across the inter-Korean border from the observatory deck.

“We heard about this spot and its proximity to North Korea. This is really interesting, being able to enjoy coffee so close to the country,” one of the foreign tourists said.

Inside the cafe, another group of visitors sat in a row facing a window wall that looks out toward the unreachable land. A Korean guide engaged in conversation with four Taiwanese women, speaking in English.

“This must be the most exotic place in the world which sells Starbucks coffee,” one of the Taiwanese visitors said.

The cafe welcomes people from various continents and countries every day, according to a barista there. Yang Seong-beom, the store manager and coffee master, said he sees more than 550 daily visitors to the cafe. According to Starbucks Korea, approximately 123,000 people have visited the store so far this year.

People cross a suspension bridge toward Jogang Observatory, seen at the top right, at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. The Starbucks cafe is located on the observatory’s second floor. Korea Times photo by Ko Dong-hwan.

Yang said tourists comprise about 20 percent of the cafe's daily visitors, most of whom arrive in groups during the morning hours. He added that the total number of visitors nearly doubles on weekends compared to weekdays.

Yang, known by his nickname Tony at the cafe, has worked there since it opened last November. Over time, he has grown accustomed to the view across the border — including Ryo Island, Ssangmagoji Highlands, Haemul Propaganda Village and Gwansanpo, a training site used by 31 North Korean military infiltrators who entered the South in 1968 — which he sees daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., five days a week.

So far, he has not witnessed anything particularly unusual across the border.

“There have not been any North Koreans in sight lately, probably because of the scorching weather,” Yang said. “But we used to see farmers working in the fields. There are military watchtowers, and sometimes we would spot people there, maybe soldiers. Still, sightings are rare. On rainy days, thick fog gathers, and we cannot see anything across the border at all.”

Yang and the other employees at the cafe mostly work in peace — a calm atmosphere due partly to the cessation of North Korea’s loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, which stopped after President Lee Jae Myung’s inauguration last month.

“The sounds were not particularly loud from up here, just faintly audible,” Yang said. “But residents in the rural communities just below the park used to hang banners along the streets, complaining about the noise. Since the new government took office, though, the broadcasts have completely stopped.”

The interior of Starbucks Gimpo Aegibong Ecopark is filled with visitors, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Ko Dong-hwan.

The store operates on shorter hours than typical Starbucks locations, opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 4:30 p.m. Its schedule follows the business hours of Aegibong Peace Ecopark, which is managed by Gimpo City. The cafe is located at the northernmost point of the park.

The cafe is not easily accessible. It is located on the second floor of Jogang Observatory, about 300 meters north of the Peace Ecology Exhibition Hall, along an Eco Trail that winds through dense forest. These facilities are among the main attractions of Aegibong Peace Ecopark and can only be reached by personal vehicle or a free shuttle bus that departs from the park’s ticket booth.

The booth is situated approximately one kilometer south of the cafe and is marked by a security checkpoint featuring a Civilian Control Line sign. Armed personnel from the 2nd Marine Division, which is stationed in Gimpo, strictly control access, allowing only those with valid tickets to enter the park.

Following the cafe’s opening, Starbucks Korea drew global attention for offering the closest observatory to North Korea in the South. At the time, the company faced speculation that it was attempting to provoke the North by placing a “symbol of American capitalism” directly across from the reclusive state.

The company has firmly denied such claims.

“The cafe is located at the estuary where the Han River and Imjin River meet, forming a valuable ecological habitat. Our intention was to establish a presence near this area of natural preservation,” a Starbucks Korea official said.

“There was already a privately operated coffee shop at this location before our arrival. The site was offered through a public tender and we won the bid. It is not as if we scouted this geological spot and built the cafe from scratch, as the rumors suggest.”