New Starbucks branch offers view of communist state!

Gimpo (South Korea) - What could be better than sipping an iced gingerbread latte from Starbucks while enjoying the view of dictator Kim Jong-un 's (40) territory ?

Around 40 visitors were waiting for the opening of what is probably the strangest Starbucks branch on the border with North Korea.
Around 40 visitors were waiting for the opening of what is probably the strangest Starbucks branch on the border with North Korea.  © Lee Jin-man/AP/dpa

Since Friday, customers have had the opportunity to do just that in the new branch of the well-known US coffee manufacturer right on the North Korean border.

The coffee shop opened in the South Korean city of Gimpo on the military grounds of a border observatory, as reported by The Associated Press (AP) news agency. Anyone wishing to enter the store must first go through a security check.

Once inside, you can enjoy a hot or cold drink - the existence of which the people on the other side of the border probably don't even know about - and stare at a dreary and deserted mountain village in the hostile neighboring country - even through a telescope if you want.

According to the report, around 40 people did not miss out on this opening opportunity.

On the one hand, coffee and cake are feasted on ...
On the one hand, coffee and cake are feasted on ...  © Lee Jin-man/AP/dpa
... on the other hand, no one has probably ever entered a Starbucks branch.
... on the other hand, no one has probably ever entered a Starbucks branch.  © Lee Jin-man/AP/dpa
The new Starbucks branch is located on the site of a South Korean border observatory.
The new Starbucks branch is located on the site of a South Korean border observatory.  © Lee Jin-man/AP/dpa

The reopening of Starbucks at this particular location can certainly be seen as a side blow in the ongoing conflict between North and South Korea. The city of Gimpo explained that the branch of this "iconic capitalist brand" symbolizes the "robust security on the South Korean peninsula".