South Korea is a good example maybe of a country that was happy to become technologically advanced and wealthy without trying to dominate its neighbors, and who was willing to buy into international systems of rule and trade.

Almost any major Asian economy you can name, including SK relies on China for key parts of the supply chain or owns factories in China... Or does that not count as "doing business with China"?

Also...SK was for a long time a authoritarian American client state and being a neighbor of China and Japan was in no position to "dominate it's neighbours" even if it wanted to