Seoul Bakery London Bagel Museum Founder Releases Essay Collection

One of Seoul’s most-buzzed-about bakeries, London Bagel Museum, became an instant hit when it opened in Anguk-dong, Jongno, in 2021. And it still draws long lines four years later.

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SEOUL —

Behind the wildly successful brand is Ryo, the visionary and brand director who has had a hand in nearly every detail, from recipe development to interior aesthetics, not only of London Bagel Museum, but also of Artist Bakery — known for its salt butter bread — as well as the cafes Highwaist and Layered.

The creative mind behind the hot spot that captured the hearts of South Korea’s younger generation put it simply: “All of this was just so completely me.”

“I didn’t create London Bagel Museum with a strategy in mind. I wasn’t chasing trends or carefully planning something,” Ryo, 52, whose real name is Lee Hyo-jung, said at a press conference in Seoul on June 16.

“It was just me. I kept asking myself what I liked, what kind of space I wanted to create, what I wanted to do — and what came out were these spaces filled with my unfiltered preferences. It just turns out many others connected with them too.”