'Doctor X: Mafia in White' draws criticism over medical accuracy

Namgung In, the series' medical consultant, points to disagreements between consultants and production teams

“Doctor X: Mafia in White," starring Kim Ji-won, is facing criticism over its medical accuracy, with viewers arguing that the medical drama's depiction of medical procedures is undermining the series’ realism and disrupting immersion.

The series centers on Gye Soo-jung (Kim), a brilliant yet maverick surgeon who challenges the corrupt power dynamics and political structures governing hospital administration. Its first two episodes aired on Friday and Saturday on SBS, securing nationwide viewership ratings of 11.4 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively, according to data from Nielsen Korea. The premiere scored the highest rating among 2026's miniseries debuts.

Despite its strong ratings, the series 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 multispecialty 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 dramatized 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 Sunday, “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: Mafia in White” is a 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 Ryoko Yonekura as a maverick surgeon whose character serves as the basis for Gye Soo-jung, helping establish Yonekura as a household name in Japan.

The series also marks the return of Kim ("My Liberation Notes," "Descendants of the Sun") to television two years after the massive global success of “Queen of Tears,” the hit romantic drama in which she starred opposite Kim Soo-hyun.

The 12-episode series airs twice weekly, on Fridays and Saturdays, on SBS and is streaming globally on Netflix.