A tragic case of alleged overwork has emerged from the trendy bakery chain London Bagel Museum (LBM), where a young man in his 20s reportedly died after enduring grueling workweeks of up to 80 hours. His death, which occurred in July, is now gaining public attention amid growing outrage.
On October 27, Korea’s Justice Party released an official statement revealing that the young employee had worked at LBM for 14 months before passing away. The statement cited media reports indicating that he worked between 58 and 80 hours per week, with extreme labor demands leading to what is suspected to be death by overwork.
According to the party, just five days before his death, the man worked a shocking 21-hour shift. The day before he passed, he clocked in at 9 a.m. and didn’t leave until nearly midnight.
“This raises serious suspicions that chronic and acute overwork contributed directly to his death,” the Justice Party stated.
The company allegedly refused to provide full employment records, and LBM is under fire for denying the possibility of overwork, despite documents such as work schedules and chat logs suggesting the deceased worked an average of 58 hours per week, including up to 80 hours in the final week.
The party also pointed out that the worker’s employment contract violated South Korea’s 52-hour workweek limit, with provisions for over 14 hours of overtime per week and actual working hours reportedly far exceeded even that. They emphasized that he had been transferred among four different store locations in just over a year—moving from Gangnam to Suwon to Incheon renewing his contract three times, raising suspicions of contract-splitting to evade labor laws.
Despite the worker’s family applying for occupational injury compensation with Korea’s Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service on October 22, LBM has refused to share work logs, saying, “Our records differ from the family’s claims.” One executive allegedly told the bereaved family that pursuing legal action made them seem “immoral.”
“LBM must stop avoiding accountability and fully disclose the work-related data the family is requesting,” the Justice Party demanded. They also urged the Ministry of Employment and Labor to launch an immediate investigation, adding, “This death must not be ignored. We need proper oversight to prevent another tragedy.”
The party mourned the worker, describing him as a hardworking 26-year-old who dreamt of one day opening his own bakery.
Meanwhile, Lee Mi-seon, spokesperson for the Progressive Party, also issued a strong statement condemning LBM. “This tragedy reveals the brutal and inhumane labor practices behind the brand’s shiny façade. Treating young workers as disposable tools is the result of unchecked greed,” she said.
“LBM has profited by marketing itself as a trendy youth hotspot, while using the labor and even lives of young people as part of their brand’s cost,” she added, calling it “nothing short of calculated exploitation and corporate violence.”
The London Bagel Museum, which opened in September 2021 in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, became a phenomenon during Korea’s “bagel craze.” It currently operates seven branches nationwide. In July, the chain was sold to private equity firm JKL Partners in a deal reportedly worth over 200 billion KRW.
Sources: nate