This is part 2 of a 3 part series: Along the DMZ: Life at the Korean Border. Read parts 1 and 3.
Read a version of this story in Korean
The observation deck with the new Starbucks was crowded with visitors, eager for a glimpse of life in North Korea, just 1,400 meters, or under a mile, away -- but almost a world apart.
“It looks like a school, right?” said one visitor, pointing at the town across the river.
“There are people walking around. They look like adults, not kids,” replied another.
The Starbucks opened in November, on a platform that overlooks North Korea in the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park, which lies within a restricted area near the border.
The platform has been open since 2021 and it is a popular destination for tourists who are curious about life in one of the world’s most isolated countries.
Visitors can use mounted binoculars or a long-range camera that displays images on a view screen -- free of charge -- to get a closer look at life across the river, which--in this part of the country--has divided the communist North from the capitalist South since the end of the Korean War since 1953.
Upstream, the DMZ trends northeast overland, whereas the river flows in from Seoul, southeast of here. The conjoining of the border and the river add to the platform’s scenic view, but underscore the depth of the national division.
“It feels strange to look out over North Korea while drinking American coffee,” a woman from the city of Gimpo told Radio Free Asia, but asked not to be identified because she did not want to appear in the media.
Close but far
As she sipped her latte, she said it made her sorry to see the worn-down buildings and poor living conditions across the river.
North and South Koreans share a common history, culture and language -- but 80 years of separation would be hard to overcome if the two countries were ever to be joined together again, she said.
“The buildings seem old. But it’s their life and I don’t think I can say anything about that,” she said. “Even if unification happens, I don’t know if the people of the South and the North will get along with each other. Not just yet.”
Jung Dahye, a college student visiting from Daegu, a city about four hours away by car, said she found the experience humanizing.
“All I knew about the Korean War and the division of the peninsula was what I heard from my grandfather and learned in history class, but coming here and seeing it in person, I had no idea they were this close,” she said.
“Just like the Han River runs through the middle of Seoul, the same river is between us here too. So it just feels like I’m just looking at a different neighborhood.”
Restricted area
The coffeeshop and platform are not the easiest places to visit.
Because areas near the border are restricted, those who wish to enter the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park must get through a security checkpoint staffed by South Korean Marines. After presenting their identification for verification, they can buy a ticket to enter the park for 3,000 won (US$2).
From there the visitors catch a shuttlebus deeper into the park, and then it’s a 10-minute hike on a skywalk that runs up the side of a hill, and leads to the platform.
The park and the platform have been around since 2021, but the Starbucks opened on the second floor of the observation deck in late November.
The North Korean county of Kaepung across the river resembles South Korea in the mid-20th century, said a man in his 70s from Uijeongbu, about an hour’s drive away, who wanted to be identified only by his surname Kim.
“The houses seem old and abandoned,” said Kim. “It’s just like how I remember living in the ’50s and ’60s, or maybe it’s even worse, because at least we had freedom back then.”
RELATED STORIES
Coffee in North Korea: It’s not just for capitalists anymore
Starbucks sees plunging China sales as middle classes trim spending
North Korean Officials ‘Crave Coffee’
Today, South Korea is one of the world’s most developed countries, with an economy estimated to be 75 times larger than its northern neighbor, according to the Bank of Korea. Samsung, Hyundai and Kia are household names worldwide.
But back in the period Kim was referring to, the South had only just started its economic ascent, and the North was actually better off at that time.
As Kim’s friends entered the coffee shop, he remained outside, mesmerized by the screen of the long-range camera.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Kim. “[If we weren’t a divided country,] we could have crossed back and forth countless times, but now we can only look at each other, and it’s heartbreaking.”
Translated by Claire S. Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.