Thinking back on my experience, ck-in at both BKK and SEL was handled by third parties (Thai Airways and Asiana, I believe).

I do remember in Seoul that a menacing Russian bouncer-type employee showed up at the gate and there seemed to be a lot of angry back-and-forth between this guy and a lot of my fellow pax (all of this took place in Russian, so I don't have a clue as to what was going on).

Also, while the in-flight service was good, on my Seoul-Shanghai flight, there were a handful of semi-dissheveled guys dressed in what appeared to be Aeroflot flight uniforms (pilot, co-pilot, etc.) who were drinking pretty heavily. I assumed they weren't on duty and were just repositioning themselves to Shanghai.

The guy sitting next to me was a Russian gov't official-- he was drinking straight vodka, and lot's of it. When he found out I wasn't Russian, he became extremely friendly and wanted to introduce me to female members of the dance troupe that were sitting back in economy. Before he had the chance to make good on his offer, however, he passed out and was still asleep when I deplaned upon arrival in China.