Former employee accuses London Bagel Museum of toxic workplace culture and surveillance
Published: 30 Oct. 2025, 15:25
![Pastries on display at London Bagel Museum [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/30/21265bdd-6674-4357-8d2d-e9d10d0125c8.jpg)
Pastries on display at London Bagel Museum [JOONGANG ILBO]
London Bagel Museum, a popular bakery chain, is facing mounting allegations of exploitative labor practices after a 26-year-old employee died while preparing to open a new branch.
A former worker’s viral online post accuses the company of enforcing excessive workloads, pressuring staff with surveillance and incident reports and cultivating a toxic workplace culture.
In a social media post uploaded on Wednesday, the former employee described a rigid contract system in which staff were hired on three-month terms and dismissed over minor infractions.
"We signed contracts every three months," the former employee wrote. "If you wrote five or more incident reports, you had to report to headquarters for training, regardless of your location. If you made a mistake, they would end your contract.
"Someone was let go after 11 months because they got sick and couldn’t fulfill their duties. They were a manager, but the company told them, 'We gave you a chance. You blew it. Your contract is over.'"
Incident reports were required for even the smallest mistakes, according to the post.
"On my first day, I received just one hour of training. I had to process bagel orders, but the register listed all the bagel names in English," the former employee said. "I made a mistake and had to write a report. A customer asked for a shopping bag and I forgot to log it — I had to write another report."
![The picture shows a London Bagel Museum store in Jongno District, central Seoul on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/30/2d7393b7-2d31-461b-88e5-fe05c342ab62.jpg)
The picture shows a London Bagel Museum store in Jongno District, central Seoul on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]
The former worker also claimed that staff were monitored via security cameras.
“If someone made a mistake, they checked the CCTV, found out who it was and made them write a report,” the former worker said. “The worker who passed away was probably caught on camera too. The resolution was high enough to recognize everyone’s face.”
The former worker also alleged that managers addressed employees by their appearance rather than by name.
“Even though the headquarters managers knew everyone’s name, they would say things like ‘Hey you in shorts’ or ‘Hey blonde,’” the former employee said.
The post also described an incident in which an executive shouted at an employee outside a store for not recognizing them.
The controversy follows the death of a 26-year-old employee surnamed Jung, who was found in cardiac arrest at a company dormitory on July 16. Jung had been working on the opening of a new Incheon branch.
Jung's family claims they died from overwork, saying they worked more than 80 hours a week under extreme stress and were unable to eat properly. The company denied the claim, and a company executive was found to have sent a text message to the family saying, “I want you to act with conscience and behave in an exemplary manner.”
![A Justice Party official holds a placard in front of a London Bagel Museum store in Jongno District, central Seoul on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/30/80185ec9-f89a-42e0-893b-8048c396ca83.jpg)
A Justice Party official holds a placard in front of a London Bagel Museum store in Jongno District, central Seoul on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]
The company reportedly instructed staff to tell outsiders they were “doing well” in case of undercover customers, and warned them not to post unverified information online.
As public criticism mounted and calls for a boycott emerged, the company issued an apology on Tuesday through social media, signed by Kang Kwan-ku, CEO of LBM, which operates London Bagel Museum.
“We sincerely apologize for the irreversible harm caused to the bereaved family by the inappropriate actions of the on-site manager in the early stages,” the statement read. “We will cooperate fully with the authorities.”
But the company rejected the overwork claims.
“We cannot accept the claim that the employee worked 80 hours a week,” the company said. “Since joining the company, they applied for overtime on seven occasions, each for nine hours, over a 13-month period. We found that their average weekly working hours were 44.1. We have provided their employment contract, schedule and pay statements to the bereaved family.”
The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Wednesday launched a formal investigation into LBM and its Incheon branch. Authorities will examine whether the company violated Korea’s 52-hour workweek law and whether its labor contracts met legal standards.
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]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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