SBS drama Doctor X faces legal complaints and broadcast petition

The SBS drama Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia is facing a civil complaint over a simulated bus stop and a petition to halt its broadcast following scenes depicting the May 18 Democratization Movement. Despite these controversies, episode 6 reached a peak instantaneous rating of 21.3% on the 24th.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia,' starring Kim Ji-won, is facing unexpected legal controversies even as it nears a 20% viewership rating. While a petition to halt the broadcast has emerged over scenes depicting the May 18 Democratization Movement, a civil complaint has also been filed requesting an investigation into whether a simulated bus stop installed for filming violated the Road Act. Although the production is gaining momentum by breaking its own record viewership ratings, controversies continue to mount off-screen.

On the 27th, a complainant stated that they filed a petition with the competent district office through e-People to verify the legality of a temporary bus stop installed during the filming of 'Doctor X.' The facility in question appeared in the sixth episode broadcast on the 24th. The complainant raised the issue by stating it is necessary to confirm whether the sign, installed specifically for filming, went through the relevant permit procedures and whether there are grounds for violating the Road Act.

The controversial scene is tied to the setting of the story featuring the protagonist Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won). The broadcast depicted a scene where a character takes the number 518 bus toward the May 18 National Cemetery, with the bus stopping at the 'May 18 National Cemetery Stop' installed in front of the 'Gate of Democracy,' the entrance to the cemetery. However, it is reported that the actual stop for the number 518 bus is located approximately 350m away from that location. The bus stop in the drama was a simulated facility prepared for filming rather than a reproduction of actual traffic facilities.

The part questioned by the complainant is the installation process of the bus stop sign. They requested verification of whether road occupation permits or location use approvals were obtained, and whether the facility obstructed the passage of pedestrians and vehicles. However, the filing of a complaint does not confirm illegality. Whether a permit was actually required and whether the necessary procedures were followed must be determined through the confirmation and judgment of the relevant administrative authorities.

The complainant stated they are not questioning the content of the drama itself regarding the May 18 Democratization Movement. They explained that the directorial depiction of historical events and the administrative legality of installing facilities at a filming site are separate matters. Nevertheless, as a scene set in a location of great historical significance has expanded into an issue regarding facility installation, the controversy surrounding 'Doctor X' appears to be branching into two paths: the narrative of the work and the filming procedures.

The source of the controversy was the narrative related to the May 18 Democratization Movement covered in episode 6. In the broadcast that day, the story of Oh Sang-beom (Ha Sung-kwan), who suffered a head injury from gunfire by the martial law army in May 1980, was revealed. Depicted as a man who lost his older brother at age twelve and has lived for 46 years enduring pain with a bullet fragment remaining in his head, the genius surgeon Gye Su-jeong encounters Oh Sang-beom, who has lived with his wounds for many years, and steps forward to treat him.

In the latter part of the episode, a scene also appears where a fictional former president, Ji Du-seok, who is reminiscent of former President Chun Doo-hwan, is transported to a hospital in an unconscious state. By placing characters reminiscent of victims and perpetrators of state violence in the same hospital space, the drama expands its gaze beyond individual illness and surgery to the heavy themes of wounds left by state violence and historical responsibility.

Viewer reactions immediately following the broadcast were mixed. Some evaluated it as a meaningful attempt to highlight the pain borne by a May 18 survivor for decades. Conversely, criticism was raised that it was inappropriate to suddenly pull historical subject matter, which allows for political interpretation, into the flow of a medical drama. Views clashed between seeing the direction as evoking historical memory and seeing the setting as something that shook the genre balance of the work.

The controversy has led to a petition demanding the cessation of the broadcast. On the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea's public petition board on the 24th, a 'Petition regarding the cessation of the SBS drama Doctor X' was posted, and the petition has entered the stage of reviewing whether to make it public after meeting the requirement of 100 signatures before public disclosure. It was also noted that Lee Ok-gyu, a Chief Producer (CP) at the production company Studio S, posted the phrase 'No fear' along with the drama poster on his social media. However, it has not been confirmed whether this post is an official position regarding the controversy.

Ironically, viewership soared amidst the controversy. Episode 6 recorded 19.5% based on Nielsen Korea's national household ratings, breaking the work's own highest rating, with the peak instantaneous rating rising to 21.3%. In terms of ratings alone, the work has established itself as a hit nearing the 20% mark, but high ratings do not necessarily mean the resolution of the debates surrounding the work.

'Doctor X' now faces two tasks, separate from its commercial success: the method of incorporating historical events into a drama and the procedures to be followed when reproducing actual locations. While the debate surrounding May 18 poses questions about creative freedom and the responsibility of historical representation, the bus stop complaint is a matter of verifying the administrative legality of the filming site. While the actual legality must be monitored through the judgment of relevant agencies, it is clear that 'Doctor X,' which was racing toward a 20% rating, is now in a situation where it must also handle controversies outside the work.

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