I’ve seen a ROK sergeant hit a private in the face with a 2 X 4 and expect him to get back up for some more abuse.
When I was in S. Korea in the 60s, I had, for awhile, two ROK soldiers as friends. There were not in basic training but in a regular unit. I asked them about how things were in the ROK. They said the hardest part was the discipline because even the smallest infractions bring a harsh rebuke and no command from anyone above you can get the slightest question. They also said that a 2 x 4 about three feet long was used to “discipline” a soldier. My brother who served in NAM said the ROK soldiers there were feared by the Vietnamese more than were the Americans. TOTAL warriors he said.
As far as today’s ROK, I cannot say, and of course South Korean society has changed a lot too.