SBS medical drama Doctor X: Mafia in White, led by Kim Ji Won, is winning praise for its sharp criticism of the medical establishment, even as its portrayal of doctors draws backlash from medical professionals.
The series premiered on October 9th with an 11.4% nationwide rating, according to Nielsen Korea, before rising to 14.9% with its second episode. It also topped Netflix’s global non-English TV chart within days of its debut.
Much of the show’s appeal centers on Gye Su Jeong (Kim Ji Won), a brilliant freelance surgeon who refuses to bow to hospital authority. Working through a medical staffing agency, she is paid per operation and leaves work promptly at 6 PM. Assigned to a hospital facing a surgeon shortage, she openly challenges questionable surgical decisions and colleagues who prioritize VIP patients.
A one-minute scene in which Gye delivers a blistering critique of the hospital hierarchy has surpassed 8 million combined views across Shorts and Reels.
While popular Korean medical dramas such as Hospital Playlist and Dr. Romantic have largely emphasized doctors’ relationships, struggles and dedication, Doctor X takes aim at the profession’s entrenched hierarchy and ethical failings.
The series depicts doctors making questionable clinical decisions, including a hospital director who collapses after unknowingly wearing latex gloves despite an allergy and a surgeon who chooses to close an incision after discovering that a patient’s cancer has spread further than expected.
Sungkyunkwan University professor Gu Jung Woo suggested that the show’s popularity reflects public frustration following nearly two years of conflict between doctors and the government.
“Viewers who were disappointed by doctors’ collective action and the resulting disruptions to medical services over nearly two years are finding vicarious satisfaction in the drama’s criticism and exposés,” he said.
Still, the drama’s heightened portrayal of medical professionals has prompted criticism, with an orthopedic surgeon filing a broadcast review request on the 13th over alleged distortions of medical practice.
“The show repeatedly portrays hospital rounds as unnecessary busywork, reduces medical staff to incompetent villains and ignores the uncertainty inherent in medical practice,” the complainant wrote.
“I don’t think it’s likely to lead to actual sanctions. Still, I felt it was necessary to raise the issue. As a professional, I couldn’t simply stand by and watch misconceptions take hold,” he added.
The network told Star Today on October 15th that it had “no separate comment” on the controversy.
Adapted from the Japanese series Doctor-X, the 12-episode drama has made its confrontational portrayal of hospital politics a central draw, even as questions remain over its medical realism.
>> Kim Ji Won’s ‘Doctor X’ Soars in Ratings but Faces Backlash From Real-Life Doctors
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