The number of tourists visiting the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, has increased. The introduction of a Starbucks store and night openings seem to have had a positive impact.
According to Gimpo city, the number of visitors to Aegibong last year was 190,234, averaging 15,852 per month. However, from January to April of this year, 129,517 visitors were recorded, an average of 32,379 per month.
The number of foreign tourists has also increased. Last year, foreign tourists numbered 16,441, averaging 1,370 per month, but from January to April this year, 13,409 foreign tourists visited, increasing to an average of 3,352, which is about 2.4 times the previous year.
Tourist numbers at Aegibong Peace Ecological Park have surged since a Starbucks store opened in the park in November of last year. This store is known as the "North Korea View Starbucks" because visitors can see North Korean territory at a glance without a telescope.
This store is located on the second floor of the park's observation deck, just 1.4 kilometers away in a straight line from Gyeongbuk's Kaepung County across the Han River. It is the only Starbucks store located in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where civilian access is restricted. As a result, entry is only possible after passing through a security check, and the daily number of visitors is reportedly restricted to 2,000.
Besides the entry of Starbucks, Gimpo city is also seeing positive results from its policy to promote Aegibong Peace Ecological Park as a global tourist destination, which includes a monthly night opening that began in October 2023. The city expects that the cumulative number of tourists to Aegibong, which surpassed 500,000 in February, will reach 800,000 by the end of the year.
Gimpo Mayor Kim Byeong-Soo noted, "There is a lack of representative tourist attractions in Gimpo, so we aimed to develop this area, prioritizing attracting many visitors at first," and added, "Having achieved the initial goal in a short time, we will now work to further expand the tourism infrastructure to lead to consolidation of the local economy."