The Japanese invaded again in 1905, annexed the country in 1910 and exploited it harshly until 1945 when it was occupied by the Russians in the North and by the US in the South. Then, the Korean War wrought havoc leaving the North and South broken and enemies. Since then, South Korea has developed remarkably well with US assistance while North Korea remained backward and impoverished under a radical communist regime. Atlapedia CIA Emulateme Iziglobe Lonely Planet Traveldocs Seoul View from the Seoul Tower in Nam San Park. I must have spent all my bad humour in Taipei because I really enjoyed Seoul.
Perceptions are very subjective.
Maybe it depends on the people you meet. It was literally a cupboard in the wall with just enough space for a mattress and cupboard doors that you can close and lock from the inside at night. It was a very novel and interesting arrangement for me. There were a dozen such cubicles in the Daewon Inn. They were raised about 50 cm from the floor by flues through which the hot gasses from a central furnace were circulated to keep them warm in the winter.