'Doctor X' delivers satisfying dose of justice with Kim Ji-won at center

Doctor X premiered Friday and follows Gye Su-jeong, a brilliant surgeon dispatched to Guseo University Hospital, as she challenges corruption and hierarchy. The first episode recorded 11.4 percent nationwide viewership, the highest-rated miniseries premiere of 2026. Gye saves an operation after the hospital director collapses from a latex allergy, but is fired before being reinstated by a rival seeking to use her abilities.

The premiere reached a peak nationwide viewership of 12.9 percent and recorded 11.2 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Gye works through Korea’s first physician staffing agency, which is run by Jang Hee-sook.

The hospital director chose open surgery for an elderly patient despite Gye’s recommendation for laparoscopic surgery.

The director had used prohibited surgical gloves despite being unaware of his latex allergy, while the patient also had a latex allergy.

Boo Seung-kwon became the new hospital head after using the director’s wrongdoing to take over the position.

Published Oct 10, 2026 2:54 pm KST

A poster for "Doctor X" / Courtesy of SBS

“Doctor X” took aim at doctors chasing power and personal interests within the hospital, delivering a satisfying blow against corruption from its very first episode.

At the center is Gye Su-jeong, a brilliant surgeon played by Kim Ji-won, in a rare female lead role for a medical drama.

SBS' "Doctor X: Mafia in White," which premiered Friday, is a medical drama centered on Gye, also known as Doctor X, who takes on deeply rooted corruption with exceptional surgical skills and a refusal to accept failure or compromise.

According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode recorded nationwide viewership of 11.4 percent and 11.2 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, peaking at 12.9 percent. It was the highest-rated premiere among miniseries that debuted in 2026, giving "Doctor X" a double-digit start.

The premiere introduced Gye, a temporary doctor dispatched to Guseo University Hospital, as she confronted the institution's hierarchy and corruption while demonstrating her surgical prowess.

Gye and Jang Hee-sook, played by Lee Jung-eun, encountered a customer who suddenly collapsed in pain at a billiards hall and saved the patient with swift emergency treatment.

Later, the Magnolia Society, an association of influential doctors at major hospitals, held a party to celebrate the election of a doctor-turned-mayor. Professor Bu Seung-kwon, played by Son Hyun-joo, was himself a member of the group but showed his disillusionment with the way it operated.

Amid a staffing shortage at Guseo University Hospital, Gye was temporarily assigned there through Korea's first physician staffing agency, run by Jang.

When hospital director Kim Myung-seop, played by Kim Jong-goo, sought to perform open surgery on an elderly patient to showcase his skills ahead of his retirement, Gye insisted that the patient should instead undergo laparoscopic surgery. She also sharply criticized the doctors who went along with the director's decision.

The open surgery ultimately went ahead, with Gye, Jang and Boo watching from an observation room. During the procedure, however, the hospital director suddenly went into shock and lost consciousness. The startled doctors rushed him out of the operating room, leaving the patient lying on the operating table with the surgical incision still open.

As Tae-kyung remained in the operating room in a panic, Gye appeared in surgical scrubs.

It turned out that both the hospital director and the patient had latex allergies. Unaware of his own allergy, the director had used prohibited surgical gloves for his own convenience. Gye had already figured out what was happening and quickly stepped in to complete the operation.

After regaining consciousness, the director fired Gye for refusing to back down. But Boo, who used the director's wrongdoing to take over as the new head of the hospital, immediately brought her back, setting the stage for further conflict.

The main appeal of "Doctor X" lies in its protagonist.

Gye is not someone who recognizes wrongdoing but ultimately submits to the logic of the organization. She does more than point out problems — she proves through her abilities that her judgment was right. The drama spreads its crowd-pleasing moments across dialogue, plot developments and surgical scenes.

Although "Doctor X" is a medical drama, Gye differs from the types of doctors commonly portrayed in the genre.

She does not devote herself to the hospital as an institution or sacrifice herself to maintain relationships with colleagues. She leaves work when her scheduled hours are over and refuses tasks that fall outside the responsibilities specified in her contract. In that sense, she rejects the conventional idea that doctors should endure anything in the name of a sense of duty.

But Gye is more than simply a character who delivers cutting remarks. She puts patients' conditions first and steps up to the operating table without hesitation in an emergency.

She rejects loyalty to the organization but does not turn away from her responsibilities as a doctor. That distinction gives the character a clear set of principles: Gye separates the obedience demanded by the hospital hierarchy from her responsibility toward patients.

Kim's performance plays a major role in making the character convincing. Through her firm delivery and restrained expressions, Kim conveys Gye's cool-headed personality while giving the character a strong identity without going overboard.

From its first episode, "Doctor X" clearly establishes a dynamic between those who engage in wrongdoing and a protagonist who holds them accountable, helping the drama quickly draw viewers into its story.

The power struggle inside the hospital is therefore likely to become a key element of the series going forward.

After witnessing wrongdoing by the hospital director and medical staff, Boo recognizes Gye's abilities but also reveals his intention to use her as a wild card to tackle other problems within the hospital. That suggests Gye could find herself being used by those in power even as she tries to correct the institution's abuses.

As competing interests within the hospital grow increasingly complicated, the question is how far Gye will be able to uphold her principles.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

《Doctor X》于周五首播，讲述了才华横溢的外科医生桂秀晶被派往具西大学医院，挑战腐败和等级制度的故事。首集收视率高达11.4%，成为2026年迷你剧首播收视率最高的剧集。桂秀晶在医院院长因乳胶过敏晕倒后挽救了一场手术，却因此被解雇，之后又被一位意图利用她能力的竞争对手重新聘用。

首播集在全国范围内取得了12.9%的最高收视率，在首尔都市圈的收视率为11.2%。

Gye 通过韩国第一家医生派遣机构工作，该机构由 Jang Hee-sook 经营。

尽管 Gye 建议进行腹腔镜手术，但医院院长还是为一位老年患者选择了开腹手术。

尽管导演不知道自己对乳胶过敏，但他还是使用了禁用的外科手套，而病人也对乳胶过敏。

利用院长的不当行为，Boo Seung-kwon 接管了医院院长一职，成为新的院长。

发布于2026年10月10日下午2:54（韩国标准时间）

《X博士》海报 / 图片由SBS提供

《Doctor X》这部剧从第一集开始就对医院里的腐败现象进行了痛击，抨击了医生们在医院里追逐权力和个人利益的行为。

故事的核心人物是才华横溢的外科医生桂秀晶（金智媛饰），这是医疗剧中罕见的女性主角。

SBS电视台周五首播的《Doctor X：白衣黑帮》是一部以医生X（又名Gye）为中心的医疗剧，讲述了他凭借精湛的外科手术技巧和不接受失败或妥协的精神，对抗根深蒂固的腐败。

根据尼尔森韩国的数据，该剧首播集在全国范围内的收视率为11.4%，首尔都市圈的收视率为11.2%，最高收视率达到12.9%。这是2026年首播的迷你剧中收视率最高的，使《X博士》取得了两位数的开局。

首播集中介绍了被派往具西大学医院的临时医生 Gye，她在展现自己精湛的外科手术技艺的同时，也直面了医院的等级制度和腐败问题。

由李姃夷饰演的桂和张熙淑在台球厅遇到一位顾客突然因疼痛倒地，并迅速进行紧急救治，挽救了病人的生命。

后来，由各大医院有影响力的医生组成的“木兰会”举办了一场派对，庆祝一位医生出身的市长当选。孙贤周饰演的傅承权教授本人也是该组织的成员，但他对该组织的运作方式表示失望。

由于具西大学医院人手短缺，桂通过韩国第一家医生派遣机构（由张经营）被临时派往该院。

当金钟久饰演的医院院长金明燮为了在退休前炫耀医术，试图为一位老年患者进行开胸手术时，桂女士坚持认为患者应该接受腹腔镜手术。她还严厉批评了那些遵从院长决定的医生。

手术最终还是如期进行，Gye、Jang 和 Boo 在观察室里观看。然而，手术过程中，医院院长突然受到惊吓，失去意识。惊慌失措的医生们赶紧把他抬出手术室，留下病人躺在手术台上，手术切口仍然敞开着。

当泰京惊慌失措地留在手术室时，桂穿着手术服出现了。

原来，医院院长和病人都有乳胶过敏症。院长自己并不知情，为了方便使用了禁用的手术手套。盖伊已经察觉到了情况，迅速介入完成了手术。

醒来后，院长因Gye拒绝让步而将其解雇。但Boo利用院长的不当行为接管了医院的领导职位，并立即将她召回，这为进一步的冲突埋下了伏笔。

《X博士》的主要吸引力在于其主角。

桂并非那种明知故犯却最终屈从于组织逻辑的人。她不仅指出问题，更用自己的能力证明了判断的正确性。这部剧巧妙地将引人入胜的桥段融入对话、情节发展和手术场景之中。

虽然《X医生》是一部医疗剧，但男主角盖伊与该类型剧中常见的医生形象有所不同。

她并不将自己完全奉献给医院这个机构，也不会为了维系与同事的关系而牺牲自己。她会在规定的工作时间结束后准时下班，并且拒绝承担合同职责范围之外的任务。从这个意义上讲，她否定了医生应该为了责任感而忍受一切的传统观念。

但盖伊不仅仅是一个言辞犀利的角色。她始终把病人的病情放在第一位，在紧急情况下毫不犹豫地走上手术台。

她拒绝效忠于医院，但并未逃避作为医生的责任。这种区别赋予了这个角色一套清晰的原则：盖伊将医院等级制度要求的服从与她对病人的责任区分开来。

金的表演对塑造角色起到了至关重要的作用。她以沉稳的语调和克制的表情，展现了桂的冷静沉着，赋予角色鲜明的个性，而又不显得用力过猛。

从第一集开始，《X博士》就清晰地展现了作恶者和追究他们责任的主角之间的动态关系，这有助于该剧迅速吸引观众进入故事。

因此，医院内部的权力斗争很可能成为该剧未来发展的一个关键要素。

目睹了医院院长和医务人员的不当行为后，Boo 认可了 Gye 的能力，但也透露了他打算利用她作为一张王牌来解决医院其他问题的意图。这意味着，即使 Gye 努力纠正医院的弊端，她也可能被当权者利用。

随着医院内部利益冲突日益复杂，问题是 Gye 能在多大程度上坚持自己的原则。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。