[Ratings Watch] Kim Ji-won’s ‘Doctor X’ Breaks 20.8%… A Sharp Scalpel Cuts Through Injustice

A genius doctor emerges to bring down the cartel of entrenched interests

“I don’t do anything that can be done without a medical license. And I don’t fail.”

In SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Doctor X’, Gye Su-jeong, played by actor Kim Ji-won, is a genius doctor who moves forward trusting only in her own unparalleled skill. She firmly refuses to join the medical field’s entrenched old guard, and ruthlessly rejects the hospital’s rigid hierarchy and pointless socializing. Her cutting rebuke to incompetent doctors who cling to the hospital director’s power—“People as irresponsible as you are seriously pathetic”—delivers a powerful sense of catharsis to viewers.

Gye Su-jeong’s singular character also dovetails strikingly with Kim Ji-won’s own career, in which she has built a solid body of work across genres. While retaining the basic premise of the original, which aired to popularity on Japan’s TV Asahi from 2012 to 2021, the series adds depth to its story by weaving in Korea’s pressing real-world issues, including mandatory CCTV installation in operating rooms and the medical strike over expanded medical school enrollment.

A sure-fire hit across genres, her acting flourishes in a leading role

Thanks to Kim Ji-won’s deft control of her performance, ‘Doctor X’ has seen its ratings surge from the start. It opened at 11.4%, the highest premiere rating among miniseries that aired this year, then set a new record of 18.5% after just four episodes and soared as high as 20.8% in certain time slots. The show’s rise straight to No. 1 globally in Netflix’s non-English TV category just three days after its release also underscores her formidable global star power.

After first catching the public’s eye in a beverage commercial, Kim Ji-won has continued to reinvent herself, from ‘Descendants of the Sun’ (2016), ‘Fight for My Way’ (2017) and ‘My Liberation Notes’ (2022) to ‘Queen of Tears’ (2024), tvN’s biggest hit of all time. Several production company officials have lavished praise on her, saying, “The fierce dedication and strong fundamentals she has built over many years are finally generating explosive synergy in a series led by her.”

An actor who has become the face of her era—and the dilemma of how she is portrayed

Popular culture experts say Kim Ji-won has an exceptional eye for choosing projects that capture the unmet needs of the times and the public’s yearning. Yoon Seok-jin, a professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Chungnam National University, said, “Through Gye Su-jeong’s voice, the drama gives forceful expression to the contradictions in the medical system that frustrate the public.” He added, “As she builds more acting experience, she has a strong chance of firmly establishing herself as a face of her era who reflects the realities of the time.”

However, some have criticized the drama for portraying medical staff as somewhat incompetent in its effort to maximize entertainment. One viewer, concerned that it distorted the realities of medical practice, even asked the Korea Communications Standards Commission to review the show. Namgung In, a professor of emergency medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital who served as the drama’s on-set medical adviser, explained, “The production team chose to include medically inaccurate details for dramatic effect.” The delicate balancing act between the thrill of popular storytelling and fidelity to real life remains a key challenge for ‘Doctor X’ going forward.