[shiroiushi]

>I don't know that South Korea is the poster child for a "better-run and not not-so-corrupt" society.

It's not a poster child, but the US sets such a low bar that SK looks great by comparison.

Note also that the US isn't so visibly corrupt at the federal level; it's at the local levels where it's really no better than the typical poster children for corrupt countries. Taxis are a completely local (municipal) issue.