SEOUL, South Korea — Starbucks, one of the world’s most recognizable, if sometimes tedious, symbols of global capitalism, has a knack for choosing unique spots to open coffee shops.
As of Friday, visitors to Aegibong Peace Ecopark near Gimpo, South Korea, can take in the views across the demilitarized zone and the North Korean border.
“People used to think of this area near the North Korean border as a dark and gloomy place,” Kim Byung-soo, mayor of Gimpo, told NBC News.
The coffeehouse’s patrons can see a North Korean village on Songaksan Mountain, as well as the environmental preservation area that the civilian-free DMZ is home to.
An observation deck at a Starbucks in Gimpo, South Korea.
Persons:
Baek Hea, ” Baek, SeongJoon Cho, ” Kim Byung, Kim Jong Un, Lim Jong, chul
Organizations:
Starbucks, Reuters, Bloomberg, Getty, NBC News, Vietnam
Locations:
SEOUL, South Korea, Prague, Cordoba, London, Gimpo, Korean, Seoul, North Korea, Pyongyang, Korea, Gaepung County