Actress Kim Ji-won has successfully proven her presence as the returning ‘ratings queen’ through her latest small-screen project.
Her comeback project, the SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Doctor X: The Age of White Mafia’ (written by Pyeon Seong-geun, directed by Lee Jeong-rim), is continuing its upward trend in viewership ratings despite facing some backlash from medical professionals. Recording consecutive increases from its very first broadcast up to the third episode, the series has emerged as the hottest television drama of the second half of the year.
According to viewership research firm Nielsen Korea on the 17th, the third episode of ‘Doctor X’ broadcasted on the afternoon of the 16th recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 15.1%. This is a 0.2 percentage point increase compared to the previous episode’s 14.9%. Furthermore, the 2049 target demographic viewership also reached a peak of 5.23% with an average of 4.7%, while the highest overall viewership soared to 16.9%.
With this, ‘Doctor X’ started with an 11.4% rating for its premiere on the 9th and broke past the 15% mark in just three episodes, continuing to draw passionate interest and popularity. The fact that its ratings have risen for three consecutive episodes is also drawing significant attention.
In particular, ‘Doctor X’ has been embroiled in controversy due to backlash from some doctors following its premiere. An orthopedic surgeon, identified as ‘A’, pointed out certain broadcast scenes, stating, “It repeatedly depicts medical staff as incompetent villains while ignoring the inherent uncertainties of medical practices.” He announced that he had submitted an application for broadcasting deliberation against ‘Doctor X’ to the Korea Communications Standards Commission on the 13th.
However, the SBS side has not released any separate official stance regarding this matter.
In the previous broadcast, Gye Soo-jung (played by Kim Ji-won) successfully performed cerebral aneurysm surgery on hospital cleaning worker Yeo Jeong-soon, which led to her once again clashing with other medical staff. Jang Hee-sook (played by Lee Jeung-eun) attempted to use this situation to sign a new contract with Boo Seung-kwon (played by Son Hyun-joo), while the appearance of a new surgeon, Na Dae-il (played by Lee Kyu-hyung/Lee Moo-saeng equivalent, or Jang Seung-jo), added heightened tension.
As the medical accuracy controversy remains heated, attention is focused on whether ‘Doctor X’ can maintain its upward trajectory and sustain a positive response until the very end of its run.
