From what I have read, it appears that the system is improving. I think that given enough time and attention these problems will improve. What might you say is the major problem that we can look to helping our fellow professoriate with.

I really enjoyed reading about these issues. I hope that you find your way to what you want to be doing. As a brighter note, there is a possibility that the reason activism has lessened in Korea is that the quality of life for Koreans has improved greatly. You said yourself that there is no longer a dictator to rally against.