SBS drama Doctor X sparks controversy over May 18 depictions

Viewership for the SBS drama 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia' reached a series high of 19.5% on the 24th, even as a National Assembly Public Consent Petition was filed to halt the broadcast following controversial scenes depicting the May 18 Democratization Movement.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia,' starring Kim Ji-won, has become embroiled in controversy due to scenes depicting the May 18 Democratization Movement. The inclusion of the actual 518 bus in Gwangju and the May 18 National Cemetery has expanded the debate regarding the production's intent, leading some viewers to post requests for the broadcast to be halted on the National Assembly Public Consent Petition board. While critics and supporters clash over the attempt to integrate a historical tragedy into a medical drama, viewership has instead surged to a new series high.

The controversy stems from the sixth episode broadcast on the 24th. In the drama, genius surgeon Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) performs surgery on Oh Sang-beom (Ha Sung-kwan), who sustained a gunshot wound to the head during the 1980 May 18 Democratization Movement. Oh is a character who has lived for over 40 years with a bullet lodged in his head after losing his older brother at the age of 12. The setting posits that the past wound remains not only as physical pain but as a memory that cannot be erased over time.

In the story, the Magnolia Society requests the surgery, claiming the bullet remaining in Oh Sang-beom's head could serve as evidence proving the helicopter gunfire from the martial law army at the time. The narrative seeks to reveal traces of state violence through the wounds left on an individual's body. The broadcast featured scenes recreating the situation in Gwangju in 1980, including the appearance of the 518 bus, where the radio mentioned May 18. The May 18 National Cemetery was also captured on screen.

The use of the actual 518 bus operating in Gwangju and the May 18 National Cemetery particularly drew the attention of viewers. This went beyond simply using a past tragedy as a backdrop by directly linking real-world historical locations and symbols to the events in the drama. While some interpret this as the production team actively attempting to evoke the historical significance of May 18, others point out a lack of direct relevance to the central narrative of a medical drama.

In the latter part of the broadcast, a scene appeared where a fictional former president, Ji Du-seok, who is reminiscent of former President Chun Doo-hwan, is transported to the hospital in an unconscious state. Some netizens speculated whether the character's name also carried political meaning. However, as it has not been confirmed whether a specific intention was reflected in the name, it is difficult to conclude this was the intent of the production team.

Viewer reactions have been sharply divided. Critical viewers argued that bringing May 18 into a medical drama was an excessive setting that deviated from the flow of the story. In particular, they pointed out that this material was not present in the original Japanese version and called for an explanation regarding the reasons for utilizing the historical event and the adaptation process. Conversely, some evaluated it as a meaningful attempt to illuminate the scars left on an individual's body and life by state violence from the perspective of a medical drama.

The dispute has extended to a National Assembly Public Consent Petition. On the 24th, a petition titled "Petition regarding the suspension of the SBS drama 'Doctor X'" was posted on the board. The petitioner claimed that the appearance of May 18-related scenes, which seem to have no direct connection to the drama's content, caused discomfort to viewers. Highlighting the difference between the Japanese original and the Korean version, the petitioner demanded that the production team be summoned as witnesses to the National Assembly and that broadcasting review agencies conduct an investigation.

The petition met the requirement of 100 supporters for public disclosure within a single day and has entered the stage of the National Assembly reviewing whether to make it public. However, meeting the petition requirements does not mean a suspension of broadcasting is decided or that official review procedures automatically begin. Whether the petition leads to actual procedures depends on the review of the National Assembly and the judgment of relevant agencies.

A social media post by the person in charge of production also emerged as a point of interest in the debate. Lee Ok-gyu, the Chief Producer (CP) of Studio S, posted the phrase "no fear" alongside the drama poster on the day of the broadcast. Some interpreted this in connection with the controversy over the May 18 depiction, though the specific intention of the post has not been confirmed. It is more appropriate to view this as interpretations arising around the timing and wording of the post rather than concluding it as an official stance on the controversy.

While the controversy intensified, viewership showed an upward trend. According to Nielsen Korea, the sixth episode of 'Doctor X' broadcast on the 24th recorded 19.5% for nationwide households. This figure is a 2.0 percentage point increase from the previous episode, setting a new series high. The peak minute rating soared to 21.3%. As the debate over the historical material and the rise in viewership occur simultaneously, interest in the drama appears to be growing further.

The core of this controversy lies beyond the fact that May 18 was used as a subject, and instead rests on the context and manner in which the historical tragedy was recreated. The creative intention to illuminate the wounds left by state violence and the responsibility required when handling historical events are not mutually exclusive values. Moving forward, the focus of the debate is expected to remain on how the production team connects historical material with the medical narrative and how persuasively they set the boundary between fact and fiction in that process.

Read the original (Korean)