Doctor X Petition: Why Add May 18 to a Japanese Remake?

A petition on the National Assembly's website asks that SBS's "Doctor X: Mafia in White" be taken off the air after its sixth episode, which aired Saturday, Oct. 24 and placed the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising inside a medical case. The petitioner also wants the production process reviewed, the Korea Herald reported Monday.

In the episode, surgeon Gye Su-jeong, played by Kim Ji-won, tries to remove a bullet that has been lodged in a patient's brain for 46 years. The patient was shot during the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Gwangju in May 1980.

The petitioner's core complaint is about the choice. The Japanese original centers on the surgeon's skill and has no such storyline, and the petition does not dispute that a Korean remake can add local material. Its objection is that the material added is the May 18 events, a subject it says is politically contested across left and right, in a medical series unrelated to politics. The petition argues this could make viewers uncomfortable and, as summarized by the Kyunghyang Shinmun, says the Korean version looks like a forced attempt to promote a political position. According to the Seoul Shinmun, it also asks lawmakers to call the production team as witnesses.

Some viewers have echoed the objection. TenAsia reported that some questioned why a politically sensitive topic was chosen at all, and others suspected it was deliberate, driven by a specific political intent. A statement posted on the show's DCinside forum demanded that the producers explain why they chose the May 18 subject and a fictional former president, and how they weighed its effect on survivors and families.

Defenders see it differently. The Kyunghyang Shinmun called the halt demand an attempt to label a historical event "political," noting that the courts have already settled it. Pop culture critic Jung Deok-hyeon said a story can be adapted even if the original lacked it, and that the claim of political motives is itself political. Some viewers praised the episode for working the history into the drama.

The uprising ran from May 18 to 27, 1980, in opposition to Chun Doo-hwan's military rule. It ended when troops and tanks entered Gwangju on May 27 and crushed the resistance, according to the Herald.

The petition was posted Oct. 24 and has reached the 100 consents needed for the Assembly to consider whether to publish it, the Seoul Shinmun and TenAsia reported. That step does not decide whether the show is halted, and no total signature count has been reported. SBS has issued no statement. The series' chief producer, Lee Ok-gyu, responded on social media with the series poster and two words: "no fear." He gave no further explanation.

The dispute arrives with the show at its strongest ratings. Episodes 1 and 2 drew 11.4 percent and 14.9 percent nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea, the highest miniseries premiere ratings in Korea this year. Episode 6 reached a series-high 19.5 percent nationwide, TenAsia reported, and the Herald cited a peak of 21.3 percent.

"Doctor X" adapts TV Asahi's "Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon," which ran seven seasons and made lead actor Ryoko Yonekura a household name in Japan. For Kim, it is her first television role since "Queen of Tears" two years ago. The series streams on Netflix outside Korea, where the Herald reported it reached No. 1 on the global non-English TV chart within four days of premiere.

SBS airs the drama on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. KST. Episode 7 airs Friday, Oct. 30.