Tax service opens investigation into London Bagel Museum
Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 19:25
Updated: 19 Dec. 2025, 13:10
![People wait in line in front of the popular bakery chain London Bagel Museum's store in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/19/c4fb0660-a5bb-49e5-89c5-0f6af4d72777.jpg)
People wait in line in front of the popular bakery chain London Bagel Museum's store in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 30. [NEWS1]
The National Tax Service (NTS) launched a special tax investigation on Thursday into London Bagel Museum, a fast-growing bakery chain that has faced scrutiny after allegations that a staff member died from overwork.
The Seoul Regional Tax Office dispatched investigators to the bakery’s operating company, LBM, located in Jongno District, central Seoul, and seized tax-related documents on Thursday, according to industry sources. The specific reasons for the investigation have not been disclosed.
The investigation comes as London Bagel Museum was in the process of improving its working conditions following the suspected overwork-related death of a young employee, who worked at the company’s newly opened Incheon branch, and was found dead at staff accommodations on July 16.
The employee’s family filed an industrial accident claim, citing KakaoTalk messages and public transportation records as evidence that the employee had worked excessively — between 58 and 80 hours per week — before dying from overwork.
The family later reached a settlement with the company and withdrew the industrial accident claim on Nov. 3.
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 JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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