"A 2 million won suitcase was destroyed, but I got only 20,000 won" vs. "After five years, 20,000 won is reasonable" [What do you think?]

[The Financial News] A traveler says a high-end suitcase worth about 2 million won arrived at an overseas airport badly damaged, but the airline offered only around 20,000 won in compensation.

According to News1, on the 18th a post titled "What is this, Jeju Air" was uploaded to the online community Bobaedream.
The poster, identified as A, said they were shocked when they picked up their suitcase from the baggage carousel after arriving at Narita International Airport in Japan. The lock button had been completely destroyed, the suitcase was tightly wrapped in tape, and it was bound with an unidentified orange band.
A said, "There was still a name tag reading 'Airi yan' from someone else stuck on the inside of the belt. I was extremely offended," adding, "All I was told was that they could not confirm where and at what stage the damage occurred."
They went on to say that their requests for restoration of the suitcase and reimbursement of repair costs were rejected.
A continued, "They told me to sign and leave, saying they would give me 2,000 yen. When I looked it up, the cost of a new lock button alone was about 80,000 won," and added, "When I asked them either to restore it to its original condition or cover the after-sales service cost, the airline said that because the suitcase was purchased more than five years ago, the compensation would be 2,000 yen."
A also shared the official response email received from the airline. Jeju Air stated, "We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the damage to your suitcase," but explained that neither at Incheon Metropolitan City nor at Narita International Airport was there any record of the suitcase being opened.
The airline further said that when the baggage was received, it had already been taped up, and that it had been loaded onto the aircraft in the same condition as shown in the photos.
Through News1, Jeju Air commented, "It is very difficult to determine exactly at what stage and under what circumstances the damage occurred," and added, "Because the suitcase appears to have been purchased five to six years ago, and we cannot verify the exact purchase date, it is hard to apply a clear depreciation standard." The airline said that only compensation equivalent to repair costs under its regulations was possible and that additional compensation would not be offered.
Online users who read the story were divided in their reactions.
One commenter wrote, "The lock wasn’t just forced open; it was completely broken. This isn’t about the amount of money—what’s really disappointing is that they handed over clearly damaged baggage without any explanation," siding with the traveler.
Another user took the opposite view, saying, "Baggage is basically thrown around in the handling process, so locks can pop open. International baggage compensation has no choice but to follow the rules and depreciation standards," arguing that the airline’s response was appropriate.

y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter