Doctors push back against 'Doctor X: Mafia in White' amid medical accuracy concerns

A practicing physician has filed a broadcast review complaint against SBS's hit Friday-Saturday drama series "Doctor X: Mafia in White" as the show faces mounting criticism over medical inaccuracies and what some say is a demeaning portrayal of doctors.

A social media user who identified himself as an orthopedic surgeon said he submitted a complaint against the show to the Korea Communications Standards Commission, posting a screenshot of the filing as evidence.

In explaining his reasons, he said the drama "repeatedly depicts hospital rounds as unnecessary busywork, reduces medical staff to incompetent villains, and ignores the inherent uncertainty of medical practice." He added that while dramatic exaggeration is understandable, "I concluded that this crosses a line and could instill a distorted perception of medical reality."

"Doctor X: Mafia in White," which premiered Saturday, is a remake of a hugely popular Japanese series. It follows Gye Su-jeong (played by Kim Ji-won), a maverick surgical genius who calls out doctors she sees as trapped in institutional politics and lacking real skill, overpowering them through sheer competence.

In the show, Gye fires at her colleagues: "I don't like you people. You only studied to make money and get ahead. Ethics, conviction — you're just stupidly smart people. You only think about how to let things slide when a patient's life is on the line. You're all really pathetic."

The series drew strong ratings out of the gate, with its first episode pulling an 11.4 percent audience share and its second reaching 14.9 percent.

Some viewers, however, have raised concerns that certain scenes lack factual grounding, and that the show demonizes doctors and stokes public distrust of the medical profession.