By AA flying directly to ICN, it would provide a better opportunity to develop ICN as a secondary OW hub in East Asia even though no S. Korean OW carriers are available. It'll be like the FRA "hub" in which despite being a *A mega-hub, ten out of eleven OW carriers all fly into there.

It would've also entice a better connecting point to rest of that area should they bring in a mainland Chinese carrier like Hainan which OW is too short-sighted to do after losing out MU. Had AA developed its OW strategy in East Asia a bit more, seemless flights like DFW-ICN-PEK could've been possible on AA and MU, instead of an expensive forced layover at NRT. Had AA pursued OZ more into OW, flights such as seemless flights such as LAX-ICN-KOJ would've been possible instead of LAX-NRT, taking halfway across town on a expensive limousine bus that can vary from 1-3 hours depending on traffic, connect at HND-KOJ which by that time there could be no flights available causing me to take yet another expensive layover at those ugly business hotels at HND.

As it stands now, NRT is still a crappy and restrictive airport, HND is pretty much the same with unusual late night hours and things aren't going to improve considering that Japan has as bad NIMBY problems like the US.