South Korean worker, 26, dies after allegedly working 80 hours a week at popular bakery London Bagel Museum

A 26-year-old employee at popular South Korean bakery chain London Bagel Museum passed away in July this year after reportedly working nearly 80 hours a week.

Korea's Justice Party issued a statement on Oct. 27 calling for the bakery to take responsibility for their worker's death, The Korea Herald and The Korea Times reported.

The employee died in Jul. 2025, just 14 months after she joined the company, working 58 to 80 hours a week, the statement read.

Overwork

The employee was said to have worked from 9am to midnight on the day before her death.

She had also reportedly worked 21 hours straight in one day just a few days earlier.

In her 14 months of employment, she had been transferred several times from the Gangnam brand to the Suwon branch and then to Incheon branch.

Each transfer came under a new contract.

The contract was written to allow for 14 hours of overtime per week, which violated the 52-hour workweek limit, according to the party.

Family filed for compensation

The bereaved family reportedly filed for compensation on Oct. 22, stating her death was a result of work.

However, LBM, which operates the bakery has refused to provide documents related to the worker’s hours, the party said.

“The company continues to insist that its record of working hours differs from the family’s claims,” it said.

London Bagel Museum

London Bagel Museum is a popular bakery that is known for their wide variety of baked goods.

It opened its first store in Seoul in Sep. 2021 and is a popular spot for tourists, with seven outlets nationwide.

Private equity firm JKL Partners acquired LBM in Jul. 2025 for 200 billion won (S$180.5 million).

Top photos from Mothership and london.bagel.museum/Instagram