Patients Angry About Medical Gaps... Impact on 'Medical Dramas' Too

"Include content about collective strikes involving cancer patients"
tvN 'Jeongong-ui Saenghwal' sparks controversy... Broadcast schedule not yet confirmed

As the collective action of doctors opposing the government's medical school expansion policy continues to cause a medical vacuum, negative public opinion toward doctors is also affecting medical dramas scheduled to air in the first half of the year.

On the 22nd, a news report about the government's response measures to the departure of residents was shown on a TV installed in a public hospital in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the broadcasting content industry on the 25th, a 15-second short video previewing the drama "Someday It Will Be Wise: Resident Life (Jeongong-ui Saenghwal)," which is based on the hospital life of residents, was posted on the tvN drama promotion YouTube channel "tvN Drama" on the 8th of this month.

Early comments on the video mostly expressed opinions about the drama or actors, but from mid-month, most comments criticized the doctors who took collective action opposing the increase in medical school admissions.

Scheduled to air in the first half of the year, Jeongong-ui Saenghwal is a spin-off of the "Hospital Playlist" series, which aired Season 1 and 2 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. It shares the same universe but features different main characters.

In the Hospital Playlist series, actors Jo Jung-suk, Jung Kyung-ho, and Yoo Yeon-seok played specialists at Yulje Hospital, while in Jeongong-ui Saenghwal, Go Yoon-jung plays a first-year resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Yulje Hospital in Jongno.

Due to the great popularity of the previous works, which recorded peak viewership ratings of 16% and 14% respectively, the production of the spin-off was decided, but it seems to be hindered by social controversies unrelated to the work ahead of its broadcast.

The preview video of Jeongong-ui Saenghwal posted on YouTube sparked strong resentment by mentioning media reports that doctors exchanged messages within the hospital that disparaged patients or nurses, while some expressed sympathy, saying the timing of the drama's airing is very unfortunate.

JTBC is also reflecting a drama titled "Doctor Slump," where the protagonist is set as a doctor, but since the story mainly focuses on the protagonist’s love story amid personal despair rather than professional life, no particular controversy has arisen.

The released 15-second video only shows the appearances of the cast, with no content revealed, but since it is based on the tough hospital life of doctors, it is expected to mainly draw viewers’ empathy toward them, similar to the previous works.

If the conflict between the government and doctors over medical school expansion and the medical vacuum are not resolved before Jeongong-ui Saenghwal airs, negative views toward the drama are likely to continue.

Considering this, tvN has decided to monitor the situation of the medical vacuum rather than actively promote Jeongong-ui Saenghwal, and has not fixed the broadcast schedule. Although the drama is planned for the first half of this year, there is a possibility of delay depending on the circumstances.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.