Tourist Visa without ARC possible? Travel Agency says yes. Any experiences?

I'm a German tourist in South Korea, trying to get a tourist visa to China. I don't have an alien registration card and no address, since I stay in hotels only.

A travel agency in Seoul claims that they can get me one, because I went to China in 2012. Is this exception still possible? Or has the Chinese embassy changed the rule and I will just pay to be rejected?