I am not saying the Korean ones were 'bad' at all and helped the SE get to where it got to but I do think that they have 'improved' the range, the features, the overall 'quality' of the instruments etc in the last few years. I don't think you'd have got the Paul's or Cu-24-08, Silver Sky, McCarty's inc HBii with Piezo or DGT at 'SE' level without PRS 'partnering' with Cort to get their 'own' factory inside that complex so they can 'share' digital CAD files etc, have 'more' control and more input on training and 'consistency' of staff, all only making PRS, with PRS training and that includes their 'QC' standards, their 'precise' set-up stipulations etc - because they are ONLY making 'SE's.
As I said, that's not to say the Korean made SE's aren't great and were among the 'best' guitars you could buy for the money back then, I think that in the last 2-3yrs though, the SE range as a 'whole' are better now than they 'were' when they were using WMI in Korea to make their guitars - as were others like Schecter, Ibanez etc and still do make great guitars.
That don't 'look' like an SE to me, not what I would have expected to come out of Korea when they were making them there. Not with that 'carve' or that bridge system and still be under $1k...
Not to say the Korean Singlecuts are 'bad', worse even, but I do think the 'newer' SE's look more 'premium' with what looks like more 'premium' features too - like MoP or Abalone inlays instead of 'plastic', natural binding, same/similar bridge to Core with the 'brass' bits too...
All I am saying is I think that the last couple of years has seen an overall 'jump up' in 'quality', bringing people 'closer' to the Core on a budget than they have in the past and, if anything, the 'overall' quality has gone up across the board - more 'consistent'. It's the area that 'seems' to be something PRS has invested heavily on over the last few years - whilst US has carried on as 'normal' and it seems to be paying dividends as people are buying them and they are reviewing well too...