Allegations have been raised that a 20-year-old employee at the London Bagel Museum died after working 80 hours a week. The controversy continues, with CEO Lee Hyo-jung's Instagram account set to private and revelations about the working conditions at Cafe Layered.

 

 

1. London Bagel Museum: Suspected death of employee in his 20s from overwork

 

According to an exclusive report by the Daily Labor News on October 27, 2025, the famous bakery brand

Jeong Hyo-won (26), who worked at the London Bagel Museum Incheon branch, was found dead in cardiac arrest on July 16. Okay.

 

The deceased worked overtime, approximately 80 hours, in the week before his death. suffered from,

High-intensity work, averaging 13-15 hours of work per day, including work on days off and skipping meals It was reported that this continued.

 

The National Institute of Scientific Investigation's autopsy results revealed that the cause of death was likely overwork rather than a pre-existing condition.
The bereaved family The company is refusing to submit work hour records. He filed an industrial accident report with the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service.

 

 

 

2. “Working without a break” - Overwork environment

 

According to reports, Mr. Jeong was present before and after the opening of the Incheon branch. Working more than 13 hours a day 

He was in charge of everything from hiring employees, managing schedules, placing orders, and running the store, and actually performed duties equivalent to those of a store manager. I did it.

The number of employees reached 40, but there were only 3 managers. was,

Work on your days off or handle paperwork from home I had to do it.

 

The bereaved family said, “The workload was so heavy that we even had to turn down a promotion offer.”

“We have always suffered from a shortage of manpower because the number of company employees has not increased,” he said.
The company Regarding the allegations, the company denied the possibility of death from overwork, saying, “We cannot provide working hours.”

 

 

 

3. CEO Lee Hyo-jeong switches her Instagram account to private immediately following the controversy.

 

Immediately after this incident was reported, Founder and CEO of the London Bagel Museum

CEO Lee Hyo-jeong's Instagram account has been set to private. Okay.

As it was a social networking service that usually shared ‘branding philosophy’ and ‘success stories’,
Fans and consumers are continuing to react by saying, “Isn’t switching to private right after the controversy an evasion of responsibility?”

 

 

 

4. Controversy Spreads to Cafe "Layered" — Exposure of Workplace Conditions

 

The cafe 'Layered', which operates in the same business as Runbemu, is also embroiled in controversy. I was swept away.

According to revelations from a former employee posted on an online community,

“In the middle of summer, the air conditioner broke down and they didn’t fix it, so I worked in a store where the temperature was over 35 degrees.
“If sales weren’t good, overtime pay wasn’t paid.” The testimony is spreading.

 

 

In another post,

“They tried to avoid paying unemployment benefits, and in the end, my sister didn’t receive them. 

Additional revelations followed, such as, “The company is going crazy. Please don’t go.”

As a result, not only Runbemu but also Layered is being criticized for being implicated in allegations of poor working conditions and non-payment of wages.

 

 

 

 

✅ Summary A 26-year-old employee at Runbemu's Incheon branch died after working 80 hours a week. Surviving family members request industrial accident compensation and working hours data → Company refuses to submit data CEO Lee Hyo-jung switches Instagram account to private after reporting incident The exposé also spreads at the same business, Cafe Layered. (Working in extreme heat, non-payment of overtime pay, non-processing of unemployment benefits, etc.)

 

 

 

 

FAQ

Q1. When did the Runbemu overwork death incident occur?
A. On July 16, 2025, a 26-year-old employee working at the Incheon branch was found dead in his residence.

 

Q2. Did the company disclose working hour data?
A. The company refused to provide working hour records, and the bereaved family filed an industrial accident compensation claim with the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service.

 

Q3. What kind of controversy was there around Cafe Layered?
A. Former employees raised issues regarding working conditions, exposing issues such as “working in extreme heat, not being paid overtime pay, and being denied unemployment benefits.”

 

 

 

 

 

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