Biden goes to South Korea but avoids the Demilitarised Zone

I'm not quite sure why Joe Biden is in Asia when there's a war going on in Ukraine. But I guess it was planned some time ago. China and North Korea are already making a fuss which is both wholly predictable and stupendously boring. Both these countries need to get a life, especially North Korea which at a time of its huge Covid crisis should be asking the world for help, not criticising the US president for daring to come into the region. But Biden has decided against playing with fire by heading for the infamous Demilitarised Zone which separates North from South Korea. Normally western leaders spend an hour at the DMZ, looking through the binoculars at North Korea and its huge flagpole on its side of the zone. When I went to the DMZ with Sir Geoffrey Howe years ago when he was foreign secretary I remember officials advising him not to make any sort of gesture, such as pointing at the border, in case it upset the North Koreans. Even a sneeze was interpreted then and probably still is today as a hostile sign. But Biden is playing safe by not going at all. Very wise in my view. Knowing his propensity for gaffes, he might say the wrong thing or remove his sunglasses in a gesture of defiance which could provoke the super-sensitive Kim Jong-un to launch something nasty. But actually the real reason why Biden is staying clear of the DMZ is that his predecessor made such a fuss about meeting Kim one step over the border. The Donald/Kim show was a golden moment in Trump's four-year term and Biden wouldn't want to have comparisons made. Joe Play-Safe Biden.