The world's last Cold War frontier now has a Starbucks cafe in South Korea where customers can get a glimpse through the heavily militarised border into the North, all while sipping a latte. Hundreds showed up on Friday for the opening of the U.

Coffee drinkers can sip their beverages and view a quiet North Korean mountain village from a Starbucks shop at a South Korean border observatory.

The Starbucks outlet is one of only a few ways for South Koreans and international tourists to get a look inside North Korea, even if it’s from afar, without setting foot there. It offers an alternative to tours of the DMZ, which draws tons of tourists travelers each year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

Starbucks boss Brian Niccol faces conflicting challenges at opposite ends of the planet. Chinese consumers want a steady flow of new beverages, an approach that has caused trouble at U.S. stores. Focusing on the company’s home market and spinning off its second-biggest business would be the smart approach.

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 favorite brew.

A Starbucks opens on South Korea's border with the North, offering a view into the hermit kingdom"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.

Coffee drinkers can sip their beverages and view a quiet North Korean mountain village from a new Starbucks at a South Korean border observatory. Customers have to pass a military checkpoint before entering the observatory at Aegibong Peace Ecopark,

Customers can enjoy a hot drink while looking over the boarder into North Korea, with a new 'observatory' Starbucks being propped up on one of the world's most tense boarders

U.S. coffee giant Starbucks on Friday opened a shop at a South Korean observatory near the border with rival North Korea, where customers after passing a military checkpoint could drink beverages in the view of a quiet North Korean mountain village.