SEOUL – Doctor X: Mafia In White is facing criticism over its medical accuracy, with viewers arguing that the medical K-drama’s depiction of medical procedures is undermining the series’ realism and disrupting immersion.
It centres on Gye Soo-jung (Kim Ji-won), a brilliant yet maverick surgeon who challenges the corrupt power dynamics and political structures governing hospital administration.
Its first two episodes aired on Oct 9 and 10 on SBS, securing nationwide viewership ratings of 11.4% and 14.9% respectively, according to data from Nielsen Korea. The premiere scored the highest rating among 2026’s miniseries debuts.
Despite its strong ratings, Doctor X has drawn fierce online criticism over alleged medical inaccuracies, including questions about the need for surgery after an inguinal hernia had already been successfully reduced.
Other critics took aim at scenes depicting a surgeon making unilateral decisions during a multi-specialty operation, saying the drama ought to adhere to fundamental real-world medical protocols, particularly in its portrayals of emergency care.
Meanwhile, others pushed back against the criticism, arguing that fictional elements are inevitable in a dramatised portrayal of medicine.
Addressing the controversy, Namgung In, an emergency medicine physician at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital who served as a medical consultant on the series, wrote on social media on Oct 11: “If you see something medically inaccurate, you can assume that the consultant and the production team disagreed, and the consultant lost the argument.”
Doctor X is a South Korean adaptation of the Japanese hit medical drama Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, which ran for seven seasons from 2012 to 2021 before spawning a feature film in 2024.
The original series starred Japanese actress Ryoko Yonekura as a maverick surgeon whose character serves as the basis for Gye, helping establish Yonekura as a household name in Japan.
Doctor X: Mafia In White also marks the return of South Korean actress Kim (My Liberation Notes, 2022; Descendants Of The Sun, 2016) to television two years after the massive global success of Queen Of Tears (2024), the hit romantic drama in which she starred opposite Kim Soo-hyun.
“I spent some time wondering what kind of image I should show after taking a two-year break, and there was also a period when I was waiting for the right project. Then I received such a wonderful script that I decided to take it on,” Kim Ji-won, 33, said during a press conference in Seoul on Oct 7 when asked about her choice of comeback material.
Kim Ji-won in Doctor X: Mafia In White.
PHOTO: SBSDRAMA.OFFICIAL/INSTAGRAM
She noted that she underwent a noticeable physical transformation to step into her new role.
“I changed my hairstyle to a bob to portray Gye Soo-jung. My previous project, Queen Of Tears, featured very glamorous fashion, so this time, I approached the character by trying to strip things down as much as possible,” she said.
Industry buzz around Doctor X: Mafia In White had largely focused on how the Japanese source material would be localised for Korean audiences.
The show’s director Lee Jung-rim said: “The backgrounds and systems are quite different, so we reinterpreted the story by keeping its basic framework and appealing elements while trying to bring out a distinctly Korean sensibility.”
She also highlighted that Doctor X: Mafia In White emphasises a dark, atmospheric tone.
“The show deals with power struggles within a hospital organisation, while also incorporating human drama and the cathartic appeal of a genius doctor character,” Lee said.
“What makes this series different is that we added noir to those elements.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Doctor X: Mafia In White is available on Netflix.