I have lived in Korea on and off for fifteen years. Lots of Korea hate online for some reason, maybe because Korea isn't on the best terms with China and are buddy buddy with the US. Anyway, Korea has its issues, but it's actually a pretty good place to live.

In relation to the article, military service is mandatory in Korea unless you can give a good enough reason why you can't serve. The guy in the article couldn't give a good enough reason, like religious reasons or being vehemently anti war. The judge mentioned PUBG as a side note, but outlets need their rage clicks, so that's the outlets' focus.

When all of your vices are crimes you get really good at hiding them.

The country only stopped being a dictatorship in the late 80s, and that was only after it emerged they'd tortured a student to death. And it's not as if his successors were particularly clean either.

Hell, watch Squid Game or Parasite. Quite clearly there's something not quite alright in Korean society. Hell, watch Oldboy (2003). Genuinely one of the best (action) movies ever made. That'll also give you plenty of perspective on human nature and Korea.

The k-pop and k-dramas are quite clearly escapism, rather than a reflection of reality.

I've also heard plenty of horror stories about Korean schools from English(often American) language teachers, who were shocked at how bad schools were:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/07/we-torment-others-the-dark-side-of-south-korean-school-life-bullying-school-violence

That's why it's important to remember that your perceptions and reality can be very disconnected.