A general view shows a North Korean guard post and military fences in North Korea's border county of Gaepung on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), as seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

A general view shows a North Korean guard post and military fences in North Korea's border county of Gaepung on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), as seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

A visitor walks past a Starbucks store offering a view of North Korea at a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

A general view shows a North Korean guard post and military fences in North Korea's border county of Gaepung on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), as seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

North Korea's border county of Gaepung is seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

A general view shows a North Korean guard post and military fences in North Korea's border county of Gaepung on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), as seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

Visitors use binoculars to watch the North Korean side from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu

North Korea's border county of Gaepung is seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1, 2026. The contrast cannot be starker: people sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over the world's most reclusive nation, communist North Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'SKOREA-NKOREA-ECONOMY-CULTURE-COFFEE,FOCUS' by Kang Jin-kyu