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Bakery employee's death spurs online debate about others working similar hours, 'selective empathy'

Published: 30 Oct. 2025, 12:57

A post on an online community claims that while the death of a London Bagel Museum employee from overwork drew public attention, the overwork of medical residents often goes unnoticed. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A person claiming to be a doctor wrote online that the recent public outcry over the suspected death from overwork of a bakery employee was “selective empathy,” noting that doctors and self-employed workers regularly put in similarly long hours.

The remark drew sharp criticism online amid a broader debate on overwork and labor conditions in Korea ignited by the worker's death.

In a post shared on an online forum Wednesday, a user claiming to be a medical practitioner questioned the attention surrounding the death of a 26-year-old employee at London Bagel Museum, a popular bakery chain.

“Is working 80 hours a week something to make such an issue of? Of course, it’s tragic that someone died, but there are people who work 100 hours a week and even receive death threats,” the user wrote.

The self-identified doctor added that many self-employed people also work more than 80 hours a week and said “selective empathy is disgusting.”

A post on an online community criticized what it called the public’s “selective empathy,” saying people mourned the death of a London Bagel Museum employee from overwork while ignoring the overwork of medical residents. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The comments drew support from some users, one of whom said that under Korean law, doctors in training can legally work more than 52 hours a week.

“It was only a few years ago that the cap of 130 hours per week was reduced to 80, and even now I don’t know if that’s being followed,” the commenter wrote.

Others questioned why working conditions at bakeries draw public outrage when long hours among medical residents are treated as normal.

One commenter referred to the case of a pediatric resident who died in February 2019 after working 105 hours in a week, which was later recognized as an industrial accident.

“That incident came to mind again. The phrase ‘selective empathy’ really hits home,” they said.

Another user, also claiming to be a doctor, shared an article about the bakery worker’s death, writing that “young doctors all work over 80 hours a week.” The post has since been deleted.

Many online users condemned the original comments, saying “Someone died at work — how can you treat that like a competition?” and “I’m a doctor too, but that lacks empathy.”

Others noted that doctors had themselves gone on strike over working conditions earlier this year.

Medical staff move through a university hospital in Seoul on June 3, 2024. [YONHAP]

Medical residents across Korea staged collective resignations and strikes from February to August last year, protesting the government’s plan to increase the annual medical school admission quota by 2,000 students.

At the time, Park Dan, then acting head of the Korean Intern Resident Association, said that “most residents work beyond the legal limit of 80 hours a week, sometimes up to 100.”

The worker at the center of the current controversy was found dead at a company dormitory in Incheon around 8:20 a.m. on July 16. The 26-year-old had reportedly been helping prepare for a new branch opening while also managing regular store operations. The worker's family said the employee had worked about 80 hours the previous week.

London Bagel Museum denied those claims, saying “some of the family’s allegations, including the 80-hour workweek, are not true.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]