According to Maeil Labor News, multiple current and former designers who worked at IICOMBINED operator of Gentle Monster and Tamburins have come forward with testimonies alleging chronic overwork, excessive labor intensity, and the absence of overtime compensation.
The outlet conducted phone and in-person interviews last month with four designers who each worked at the company for more than a year. All interviewees described a rigid corporate culture that demanded extreme personal sacrifice, making long working hours unavoidable.
Several designers stated they regularly worked over 70 hours per week, despite employment contracts specifying 47.5 weekly working hours.
Employees explained that IICOMBINED applies a discretionary work-hour system, under which overtime pay and compensatory leave are not provided. However, designers argued that the system functioned in name only.
“In reality, we had no discretion over our working hours or tools,” one designer stated, noting that deadlines and workloads made autonomy impossible.
Another designer recalled a two-month period during which she worked overtime every single day except for two.
“I frequently went to get IV drips. I was sick so often. The responsibility placed on individuals was unbearable,” she said. “I even worked while taking anti-anxiety medication.”
To verify the claims, Maeil Labor News reviewed internal work logs from a designer between June and September of last year:
- June: 18.5 working days, averaging 11.5 hours per day
- July: 20 working days, averaging 12.45 hours per day
- August: Worked 18 consecutive days without a day off
- September: One shift lasted 26 consecutive hours
During the second and third weeks of September alone, the designer’s weekly hours reached 76 and 73 hours, respectively.
The individual was later clinically diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Designers emphasized that overwork was not a temporary crunch period but a chronic condition lasting several months.
One employee recalled a project where six designers worked continuously for two weeks, producing hundreds of designs only for the CEO to demand a complete overhaul upon returning from overseas.
“Even after working like that, there was no compensation and no environment where you could even ask for compensatory leave,” the designer said.
In response, IICOMBINED firmly denied the claims.
“We provided instructions that are generally permissible under labor ministry guidelines,” the company stated. “Claims that workloads were excessive or that overtime compensation was not provided are false. We did not issue instructions that undermined employee discretion.”
The designers interviewed strongly disputed the company’s explanation, asserting that workloads were consistently far too heavy for any real discretion to exist. They also stressed that overtime compensation systems were effectively nonexistent in practice.
As public discussion continues to grow online, particularly among Korean netizens and industry insiders, the controversy raises broader questions about labor practices within creative industries especially in companies celebrated globally for their aesthetics and innovation.
Sources: Koreaboo
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