Air-conditioned coffee shops, tea houses, and beer halls are emerging as summer refuges for North Korean people as the current heat wave drags on. These modern commercial service facilities offer a rare escape from the heat, but a growing number of customers are ordering a single drink and then occupying a table for hours, leaving business owners increasingly frustrated with how to manage the crowds.
A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK on Monday that modern commercial service facilities with air conditioning in downtown Sinuiju have been packed in recent days with residents trying to escape the sweltering heat.
According to the source, this trend is tied to a recent decision by North Korean authorities to guarantee electricity to some commercial service facilities as part of an effort to boost consumer spending. Some facilities in downtown Sinuiju are receiving power that authorities have rerouted from the residential grid, while others have turned to their own generators and solar panels to keep their cooling systems running with relative stability.
Ordinary households, by contrast, often cannot get enough electricity to run even a fan, which the source said has naturally driven people seeking relief toward commercial venues that can still run air conditioners.
“These days, it’s hotter than anything we’ve seen before, and a coffee shop or tea house with an air conditioner is the best summer escape there is,” the source said. “People walk in from the heat, feel the cool air, and some say it feels like heaven.”
Business owners weigh new rules
The longer the heat wave drags on, the more popular these air-conditioned commercial venues appear to become, and the difficulty ordinary households face running cooling equipment amid the country’s chronic power shortages only reinforces the trend.
“It’s inevitable that people will flock to coffee shops, tea houses, and beer halls that have even a little electricity,” the source said. “As long as the heat wave continues, this trend will likely intensify.”
These commercial service facilities were originally built as leisure spaces for North Korean people to enjoy in their free time, but a growing share of customers are now visiting mainly to escape the heat rather than to linger over coffee or tea. That shift has become a significant headache for the people who run these businesses.
When customers stay longer, table turnover slows and it becomes harder to seat new arrivals, but it also feels awkward for owners to ask existing customers to leave and free up space.
“Ordering just one cup of coffee or tea and sitting for hours is the norm, and it’s not unusual to see customers hold onto a table for an entire afternoon,” the source said. “There aren’t many places where people can cool off comfortably, so once someone sits down, they rarely get up.”
The source added that business owners are now debating whether to be more selective about which customers they seat, limit how long customers can stay, or raise drink prices. Some are even questioning whether they need to rethink their entire business model, since many customers appear to be coming for the air conditioning rather than the coffee or tea itself.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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August 12, 2026 at 02:24AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)