COFFEE AND A LOOK AT NORTH KOREA

For anyone curious about civilian life in North Korea, Starbucks is offering its customers in the south a peek into the world's most reclusive country while sipping a favourite brew.

- BLOOMBERG

Starbucks Coffee Korea's new riverbank cafe at an observatory tower in South Korea's Gimpo city promises coffee aficionados a chance to "gaze" at normal village life in Gaepung county across the border.

The observatory site, originally known as Hill 154, holds historical significance as a place where the two countries fought fiercely during the 1950-53 Korean War.

The county in the north consists mainly of homes and some farms, though as a border region, it may also have a military presence. The riverbank in North Korea is more than 1.6km from the Starbucks outlet, which means visitors may need binoculars or long-range lenses to see what is going on in the neighbouring country.