London Bagel Museum’s Jamsil branch (Image source: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A controversy over overwork has erupted in South Korea after the death of a young employee at the popular bakery chain London Bagel Museum (known locally as Runbaemyu), with the victim’s family alleging that he worked excessive hours in the weeks leading up to his death.
According to the family, the worker, who was in his 20s, logged more than 80 hours in the final week before his death and averaged about 60 hours a week over the previous three months.
The company denied the claim, saying his average workweek was closer to 44 hours, but admitted it could not verify his exact working hours due to a malfunction in its fingerprint attendance system.
The case has sparked renewed public debate over South Korea’s work culture and labor protections. On social media, users have begun sharing tips for proving long working hours — such as using public transportation logs or chat records — when companies fail to maintain proper attendance records.
Under Korean labor law, employers are not required to electronically record workers’ hours, making it difficult to prove overwork in the absence of company data. Labor attorneys say alternative forms of evidence, including transportation card usage, phone logs, or work-related messages, can help establish patterns of excessive work, though courts often weigh their reliability cautiously.
The case also raises questions about voluntary overtime and employer liability. The company claimed the employee worked late of his own accord, but legal experts note that “voluntary” overwork does not absolve employers of responsibility if they allowed or ignored excessive labor.
On October 30, members of the Justice Party hold a press conference in front of the London Bagel Museum’s Anguk branch in Jongno District, Seoul, condemning the alleged overwork-related death of a young employee and calling for accountability.
A 26-year-old employee, identified only as A, who worked at the bakery’s Incheon branch, was found dead in company housing in July. According to the bereaved family, A had been under severe work stress while preparing for a new store opening and managing day-to-day operations. (Yonhap)
In a 2009 ruling, a court recognized an employee’s death as work-related even though he had volunteered for night shifts over five consecutive weeks.
The incident occurred in July, during the sale of London Bagel Museum to private equity firm JKL Partners for about 200 billion won ($145 million). Labor experts say both former and current executives could face legal scrutiny, depending on whether the transfer of ownership was structured as an asset sale or an operational takeover.
The case has reignited calls for stronger oversight of working conditions in South Korea’s service industry, where long hours and poor recordkeeping remain widespread despite growing awareness of the human costs of overwork.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
