The Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor has criminally charged the CEO of the London Bagel Museum (Runbeomyum) for violating the country's standards on maximum weekly working hours, which led to significant public outcry after the suspected overwork-related death of a young employee. The Ministry's findings revealed that not only did workers frequently exceed the legal limit of 52 hours per week, but also that one employee tragically died while working excessively long hours. This incident has sparked broader concerns regarding labor practices within the corporation, especially since previous violations had already been flagged in earlier inspections.

Further investigations confirmed that the workers did not receive adequate compensation for overtime and faced punitive wage deductions for minor tardiness. Employees' remuneration conditions were reportedly managed in a way that circumvented proper compensation calculations, with total back wages owed amounting to approximately 56.4 million KRW. Additionally, the Ministry commanded the repayment of unpaid wages, intensifying scrutiny on the company's treatment of its labor force, including allegations of coercive conditions to disclose company secrets and mandatory public apologies during morning meetings, which indicated patterns of workplace harassment.

Minister Kim Young-hoon emphasized the grave implications of these labor violations, underlining a serious issue related to the welfare of young workers in a rapidly growing business sector. This situation reflects a larger narrative about labor rights in South Korea, prompting calls for firmer regulations and practices to prevent employee overutilization and to safeguard worker rights in high-pressure environments. The total fines and penalties imposed on the company have escalated to over 800 million KRW, reflecting a substantial commitment from the government to enforce labor standards and reinforce protections for employees.