Blending Coffee with Conflict

How do you like to enjoy your coffee or tea, if that’s what you prefer? Whatever your beverage, how do you usually unwind with your drink? Maybe while relaxing on the balcony with a book in hand, or maybe while watching some TV or getting your daily dose of news. But can you imagine sipping your coffee while staring at your mortal enemy? Taking a huge gulp while staring into enemy territory? Starbucks has just made that possible for South Koreans. The global coffee chain has just opened an outlet at the DMZ—the demilitarized border zone between North and South Korea.

South Koreans can now drink expensive brews while gazing at impoverished North Korean villages. It sounds a bit dystopian, but the store seems to be a hit. Here’s our report:

Look at the inside of this Starbucks outlet. It doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary, right? It looks like any other Starbucks that you would find in New York, New Delhi, or anywhere in between. But this outlet is located in the city of Gimpo, right at the border between North and South Korea.

The crowd isn’t really there for the overpriced coffee; it’s there for the unusual view—the chance to look into North Korea.

South Korea and North Korea are technically still at war. The all-out fighting stopped back in 1953 with an armistice, but the war never formally ended. So, as you can imagine, the two Koreas don’t really share close ties. The people are kept apart because of the geopolitical tensions.

North Korea, in particular, doesn’t want any contact with the South. The government, led by Kim Jong-un, recently declared South Korea an enemy state. He even abandoned Pyongyang’s long-standing goal of reunification with the South. So you could say the ties between the two nations are at an all-time low.

This makes people-to-people connections near impossible—but apparently not for multi-billion dollar global coffee chains. Starbucks saw an opportunity—a chance to exploit the disconnect and turn it into profit.

It opened the Gimpo branch at the DMZ so South Koreans can lament their own society while sipping Frappuccinos.

“I heard Starbucks was opening at Agabang, so I woke up at 4 a.m. This feels really different from when a Starbucks opens in our usual neighborhood. I wanted to be here early and make the first order. As I sip this delicious coffee, I wish I could share this tasty coffee with the people living in North Korea, right in front of us.”

All that sorrow, heartache, and nostalgia means big bucks for Starbucks. They aren’t the only ones profiting. The city of Gimpo has high hopes from this new outlet.

“People used to think of this area near the North Korean border as a dark and gloomy place. But now that Starbucks, with its global marketing power, has opened here, this place could now become an important tourist destination for security and peace that can be seen as young, bright, and warm, as well as garnering global attention.”

The mayor of the city is hoping the new store attracts tourists, and other South Korean border towns have the same idea. They want to capitalize on North Korea’s reputation as a “Hermit Kingdom” and offer a glimpse into Kim Jong-un’s regime.

It might sound cynical, but it offers South Koreans a chance to connect with their estranged brethren. Now, if only they had the option to do that with some normally priced coffee instead.