conerning inconsistent visa issuing practices by Chinese embassies

I have in the past obtained without diffulty standard tourist visas from
Chinese embassies in Cairo, Singapore and Timor Leste. I had planned
to visit Seoul, South Korea and obtain a visa there, but now I read it is
impossible for a tourist in Seoul to receive a visa from the Chinese em-
bassy unless he obtains an ARC of long-term residency or goes through
a lucrepitous travel agency. Can anyone find a reason-logical, illogical
or whimsical why this is so? Or will China be following the Indian pro-
cedure of insisting that a tourist apply only in his home country?