Kim Ji-won faces ethical dilemma over May 18 Democratization Movement survivor

In the sixth episode of the drama 'Doctor X' broadcast on the 24th, Gye Su-jeong faces a choice regarding surgery for Oh Sang-beom, a May 18 Democratization Movement victim living with a bullet in his brain. Although the Magnolia Society pressured Guseodae Hospital to perform the procedure to secure political evidence, Oh Sang-beom ultimately decided not to undergo the surgery.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X', which is seeing a rise in viewership, directly addressed the tragedy of the May 18 Democratization Movement. Through the story of a victim who has lived for decades with a bullet lodged in his head, the drama highlighted the scars of state violence and unending suffering. Attention is focused on what Gye Su-jeong, played by Kim Ji-won, will decide regarding a surgery entangled in political interests.

In the sixth episode broadcast on the 24th, the story of Oh Sang-beom, a patient with a gunshot wound to the brain and a bullet remaining inside, was featured. While reviewing the possibility of surgery for Oh Sang-beom, Gye Su-jeong confronted not only the patient's physical pain but also the mental scars that have weighed on him for many years. The drama intersected the current medical field with past tragedies, showing the traces historical violence leaves on an individual's life.

The episode also unfolded past stories of Gye Su-jeong's time stationed overseas. In front of Gye Su-jeong, who was in danger of losing her life after being captured by Russian soldiers, a young child appeared, risking everything to save a younger brother with a bullet in his head. The sight of the child desperately clinging to save a life overlapped with the later case of Oh Sang-beom, adding a heavy emotion to the drama.

The surgery for Oh Sang-beom was not a matter that could be decided solely by the medical team's judgment. Executives from the Magnolia Society, who visited the Guseodae Hospital branch, requested that the hospital undertake the surgery to remove the bullet remaining in the head of the democratization movement victim. While there was a risk that the patient could fall into a vegetative state or die if the surgery failed, proper diagnostic data had not even been secured.

The Magnolia Society explained that the bullet removed through surgery could serve as evidence proving that soldiers fired at citizens from helicopters during the democratization movement. However, their approach was also intertwined with political calculations. It was revealed that there was an intention to support the surgery proposed by the political sphere to obtain results advantageous to themselves. The way the issue surrounding the patient's life and historical truth was co-opted by political interests added further complexity to the drama's conflict.

Bu Seung-gwon (Son Hyun-joo) initially refused the request firmly, stating that a failed surgery could deal a serious blow to the hospital. However, the Magnolia Society pressured the hospital by mentioning the reality of Guseodae Hospital struggling with deficits. Ultimately, Bu Seung-gwon decided to entrust the surgery to Gye Su-jeong. The dilemma faced by the medical staff between the hospital's survival, patient safety, and political pressure was brought to the forefront.

Bu Seung-gwon held a conference attended by all doctors in the hospital to induce Gye Su-jeong to perform the surgery. After reviewing the situation, Gye Su-jeong volunteered to take charge of the surgery herself. Jang Hui-suk (Lee Jung-eun) also perceived Bu Seung-gwon's true intentions but pushed Gye Su-jeong into the operating room due to expectations of success bonuses. Subsequently, Gye Su-jeong, Jang Hui-suk, Park Tae-gyeong (Kim Woo-seok), and Professor Jo Won-jin (Lee Jin-hee) headed to Gwangju to meet the victim.

The past of Oh Sang-beom revealed during this process showed the specific wounds left by the May 18 Democratization Movement. Having lost his older brother during the democratization movement at the young age of twelve, Oh Sang-beom spent his life carrying the guilt of being the only survivor. While it was not an immediate threat to his life, he suffered from extreme pain and tremors, enduring days that were difficult to bear without painkillers. The past event did not remain only in history books but continued to live in his body and memories.

Following the persuasion of other surviving victims, Oh Sang-beom headed to Seoul for pre-operative examinations. While examining the patient's condition through the test results, Gye Su-jeong realized that he had been seeing hallucinations of his deceased older brother for a long time. Gye Su-jeong explained that hallucinations could also be a symptom and might decrease or disappear after the surgery. However, whether the surgery would reduce physical pain while simultaneously causing changes to the memories and sensations the patient had relied on for many years was another matter.

Ultimately, Oh Sang-beom decided not to undergo the surgery. On the night he stayed at the hospital, an incident occurred where former President Ji Du-seok lost consciousness at a sauna near the Guseodae Hospital branch. The sight of the president being urgently transported via Doctor Heli while depending on a respirator shook the inside and outside of the hospital. Oh Sang-beom went to the hospital rooftop, and as the helicopter landed, he showed an extreme trauma response as the strong lights and roar revived memories of the past.

Amidst the mixture of past gunshots, lights, and auditory and visual hallucinations, Oh Sang-beom almost fell from the rooftop. The scene where President Ji Du-seok, described as the person who ordered the firing at citizens, was being transported in critical condition, intersected with the image of Oh Sang-beom swaying precariously, gripped by past wounds. Park Tae-gyeong and Jo Won-jin ran to the rooftop and caught Oh Sang-beom, narrowly preventing him from falling. Oh Sang-beom's empty gaze and the sight of the urgently transported president symbolically revealed how past violence remains in different ways in the present.

Gye Su-jeong also rushed to the hospital upon hearing both the news of the president's transport and that Oh Sang-beom had headed to the rooftop. As the task of saving a patient's life collided with political interests, tension rose over what decision Gye Su-jeong would make. Through this episode, 'Doctor X' brought the pain endured by survivors of historical tragedies and the memory of state violence to the center of the drama, going beyond a mere medical challenge. Attention is focused on whether Oh Sang-beom's surgery will actually take place and what choice Gye Su-jeong will make in the face of the patient's life and historical truth.

Read the original (Korean)