In June 2025, the Mart Workers’ Union reported that retail staff at IKEA Korea were suffering from deteriorating working conditions, including a lack of paid rest breaks and chronic understaffing. Based on a survey of 211 workers at the IKEA Gwangmyeong store, employees cited repetitive tasks, high physical workload, and lack of meal time as key reasons for needing rest breaks. The union also highlighted inequality in access to the company’s Fika tradition, noting that while managerial staff enjoyed regular breaks, store workers were frequently excluded. Additionally, the union criticised IKEA Korea’s current CEO, Isabelle Puig, for overseeing what they described as a rollback of labour conditions.