U.S. coffee giant Starbucks has opened a shop at a South Korean observatory, near the Demilitarized Zone and overlooking a North Korean mountain village.

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.

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.

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.

The observatory, less than a mile from North Korean territory, overlooks Songaksan mountain and a quiet village in Kaephung county

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