Young worker dies after alleged overwork, working 80 hours a week at popular bagel chain in South Korea

"London Bagel Museum must not evade responsibility."

The popular café chain 'London Bagel Museum' is facing backlash over allegations of overwork following the death of a young employee. The company has reportedly been uncooperative with the bereaved family’s request for documentation on overtime hours.

On October 27, the Justice Party released a statement titled “London Bagel Museum must not evade responsibility for the death of a young worker,” urging the company to take accountability for the employee’s death.

According to the victim’s family, the deceased, referred to as 'A,' had been working at the Incheon branch of London Bagel Museum and regularly exceeded the legal 52-hour workweek. It is estimated that in the weeks leading up to his death, he worked close to 80 hours per week.

The Justice Party revealed that, based on work schedules, “On the day before his death, A started at 9 AM and left just before midnight. Five days prior, he reportedly worked a 21-hour shift.” The party added, “A sudden increase in working hours raises the likelihood of overwork. Chronic and acute overwork may combine to cause his death.”

Concerns were also raised about A’s employment contract. The party stated that his contract was “based on more than 14 hours of overtime per week,” which violates labor laws.

“This clearly breaches Korea’s 52-hour workweek limit,” the party asserted, “and his actual working hours appear to have been significantly longer.”

The statement also pointed to possible “split contracts” — a practice where employers repeatedly renew short-term contracts to avoid full-time benefits. “Over 14 months, A was transferred across four branches — Gangnam, Suwon, and Incheon — and had his employment contract renewed three times,” the party claimed.

London Bagel Museum’s operating company, LBM, reportedly refused to provide the requested work records to the family, who have filed for industrial accident compensation. A senior executive allegedly made disparaging remarks, saying the family “looked very immoral.”

“The company must stop evading responsibility and fully cooperate by submitting all relevant documents requested by the family,” the Justice Party urged, calling on the Ministry of Employment and Labor to launch a full-scale investigation. “To prevent another tragedy like this, government-level labor inspections are necessary,” the statement continued.

The party concluded by mourning the victim: “He was a diligent 26-year-old who worked passionately with dreams of one day opening his own bakery. We offer our deepest condolences.”

The Progressive Party also issued a separate statement through spokesperson Lee Mi Sun, saying, “The deceased skipped meals and worked more than 15 hours the day before his death. The company neglected the dangers of long working hours, and even the employment contract itself was structured to violate the 52-hour limit.”

Lee condemned the company’s actions, calling them “illegal and deceptive,” and demanded a strict government investigation and punishment of those responsible.

Meanwhile, on October 28, the London Bagel Museum released its own statement denying the allegations, claiming the employee worked 44 hours per week, not 80. The company also stated that it had submitted all required documents for the industrial accident investigation.