SEOUL: South Korean actress Kim Ji-won's comeback drama, Doctor X: Mafia in White, has sparked criticism over medical blunders, despite breaking viewing records just days after its release.
The SBS medical drama premiered on Oct 9 with a nationwide rating of 11.4 per cent, before jumping to 14.9 per cent for its second episode the next evening, according to Nielsen Korea.
The opening episode scored the highest debut rating for any South Korean miniseries in 2026.
Kim, 33, plays Gye Soo-jung, a brilliant but rebellious surgeon who takes on corrupt hospital bosses.
The series marks her return to television following the massive global success of Queen of Tears in 2024, where she starred alongside Kim Soo-hyun.
But viewers have questioned how realistic several medical scenes actually are.
One controversial scene features a patient with an inguinal hernia, leaving critics puzzled as to why emergency surgery was suddenly needed after the issue had already been fixed without an operation.
Others pointed out scenes where a surgeon calls the shots alone during complex operations that require multiple specialist doctors.
Some argued that the show completely ignores standard hospital procedures, especially in emergency care.
But fans defended the series, arguing that dramatic exaggeration is normal in fictional medical shows.
The debate grew stronger after emergency medicine doctor Namgung In, who worked as an on-set medical consultant, responded 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," he wrote.
Namgung also shared his appreciation for the production process, noting that it was his first time working as an on-set consultant.
Despite the debate over accuracy, he voiced his support for the show, praising the cast and crew's hard work and wishing it every success.
Adapted from the hit Japanese drama Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon—which ran for seven seasons between 2012 and 2021—the Korean remake takes a darker, crime-thriller twist on the story of a rogue doctor fighting the medical system.
The new series is currently streaming on Netflix.
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