While I like the Korean KTX, they have had a series of accidents recently (no fatalities, thank goodness); hopefully, this will be a wake-up call for KORAIL. I have taken the Thalyes, ICE, and TGV in Europe; I didn't notice a lot of differences (if any, I prefered the TGV). My wife did "enjoy" the red light district in Rotterdam - open in the morning - near the tracks. IMHO, Sinkansen has generally better scenery, especially if you go all the way from Shiminoseki to Tokyo. I lived in China; wasn't too thrilled with CRH due to the inconvenience of the station locations.