The recruiter explanation makes sense I suppose. I was ghosted by two of them, and then a third one told me there was no way I could get my documents in on time, and tried to push me toward hagwons. So I figured I should stop trying to get Seoul/Gyeonggi. Then I applied directly and got in, and then I talked to some people who are from/are currently applying to the program and they convinced me that the location preference doesn’t matter. But from my experience it has seemed like it mattered.

I don’t see why 3 months old post gives you a reason to be impolite (but I forgive you if you realize this). I’m honestly just sharing my experience and thoughts on it. People use the search function to find info.