What's wrong at Korean Air?
Korean Air has a unique atmosphere. Training with this airline has always involved cultural difficulties for foreign captains. The operation is standard Boeing and can be quite a surprise for pilots who arrive from airlines like BA which have developed quite different operating styles. I can't deny that this combination has caused big problems for some people in training. Make no mistake, many perfectly good applicants have been failed.
Against this, KAL is an airline which is trying hard to improve. I enjoyed flying with almost every co-pilot on my roster and had a rewarding and interesting five years with KAL. It was too late for me, but I believe that retirement age has now been upped to 65.
It's a pity that KAL has been given such a bad name. For contract pilots this can be a good destination. I am certain that there are many worse places to be in the airline world.