Kim Ji-won to confront Jang Seung-jo in 'Doctor X' over bioethics scandal

Following the discovery that Na Dae-il engraved his initials on a patient's organ, Gye Su-jeong will confront him in episode 5 of SBS drama 'Doctor X'. The series has seen rising popularity, with episode 4 reaching a national viewership rating of 18.5%.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X' has released stills capturing a confrontation between Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) and Na Dae-il (Jang Seung-jo) ahead of its fifth episode. The images released by the production team show Na Dae-il performing surgery during his time as a military doctor, and Gye Su-jeong stopping him by grabbing his blood-stained hands. Following the conflict between the two characters in episode 4, attention is focused on how Gye Su-jeong will confront Na Dae-il in episode 5.

The drama has achieved significant success in viewership and topicality metrics during its second week. According to Nielsen Korea, episode 4 recorded a national viewership rating of 18.5% and 18.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area, with a peak minute rating of 20.8%. The 2049 rating reached a peak of 6.56% and an average of 5.9%. The first episode had a national viewership rating of 11.4%. The production team stated that the series also ranked first in the Netflix weekly top 10 non-English shows and the integrated TV/OTT topicality rankings.

Na Dae-il's past surgical traces revealed in episode 4

In episode 4, which aired on the 17th, Gye Su-jeong clashed with Na Dae-il, a new surgeon at Guseo University Hospital. While performing surgery on an emergency patient, Gwon Chung-hyeon, Gye Su-jeong discovered the initials 'D.N' on the liver of a patient previously operated on by Na Dae-il. This scene revealed that Na Dae-il had engraved his own initials on a patient's organ.

While Na Dae-il has been depicted as a trusted figure within the hospital, the traces found by Gye Su-jeong serve as evidence of how he treated the lives and ethics of his patients during surgery. The production team introduced Na Dae-il as a character where "bioethics have disappeared" and noted that Gye Su-jeong's retribution against his misdeeds is a major theme for episode 5. In episode 4, Gye Su-jeong confirmed the facts regarding Na Dae-il's past surgeries, setting the stage for their direct confrontation.

Na Dae-il at the operating table and Gye Su-jeong stopping him

The stills released ahead of episode 5 include a scene of Na Dae-il performing surgery alone during his time as a military doctor. A strange smile spreads across Na Dae-il's face as he focuses on the surgery. The production team explained that this scene expresses Na Dae-il's immersion in his own desires rather than the patient's life.

In the subsequent scene, the current Gye Su-jeong is captured stopping Na Dae-il's past surgery. Gye Su-jeong holds Na Dae-il's blood-stained hand and looks at him. The production team described Gye Su-jeong's gaze as containing anger and contempt. The urgent appearance of Gye Su-jeong, attempting to protect the past patient, was also revealed. The production team teased the confrontation, asking, "Will Kim Ji-won punish Jang Seung-jo, who trampled on bioethics?" However, the released stills and descriptions do not include the specific process of how Gye Su-jeong stopped the surgery or the dialogue exchanged between the two.

Na Dae-il has come into confrontation with Gye Su-jeong after his past of leaving initials on patients' organs was revealed. The production team explained that while he appears to be a figure of admiration and trust on the surface, he is captured being more focused on his own desires than the patient during surgery. The preview for episode 5 focuses on how Gye Su-jeong will challenge Na Dae-il's actions and whether she can protect the patients scarred by his past surgeries. The production team presented Gye Su-jeong's response to breaking Na Dae-il's arrogance as a key point of interest for the broadcast.

Ranked first in viewership and online topicality metrics

According to Nielsen Korea, episode 4 of 'Doctor X' recorded a national viewership rating of 18.5% and a metropolitan rating of 18.4%. The peak minute rating rose to 20.8%, while the 2049 rating was 6.56% at its peak and 5.9% on average. Reports noted that after starting with a 11.4% national rating for its first episode on October 9, the series has broken its own record every episode up to episode 4. These figures are based on the episode 4 broadcast.

'Doctor X' also ranked first in the Netflix weekly top 10 non-English shows for two consecutive weeks. The period for the Tudum count is from October 12 to 18. According to FUNdex, the series also ranked first in both the integrated TV/OTT topicality category and the performer topicality category during the same period. The production team introduced the success of the work by citing domestic viewership, online topicality, and Netflix rankings. The criteria and counting periods for each ranking differ, and the Netflix ranking refers to the weekly non-English shows ranking.

SBS describes 'Doctor X' as a medical noir depicting the activities of surgeon Gye Su-jeong, who uses genius surgical skills that know neither failure nor compromise to break down massive corruption. The work is produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon, and HighZium Studio and is planned for a total of 12 episodes. It is based on the Japanese drama 'Doctor X'. As of the broadcast of episode 4, the production team identified the confrontation between Gye Su-jeong, played by Kim Ji-won, and Na Dae-il, played by Jang Seung-jo, as the core content of episode 5.

Episode 5 to air on the 23rd... scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM

'Doctor X' is an SBS Friday-Saturday drama airing every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM. The production team announced that episode 5 is scheduled for Friday, October 23 at 9:50 PM. The materials released ahead of episode 5 include the confrontation between Gye Su-jeong and Na Dae-il, Na Dae-il's past surgery, and Gye Su-jeong stopping his hand.

Up to episode 4, the series covered the process of Gye Su-jeong discovering Na Dae-il's surgical traces at Guseo University Hospital. The production team teased that the two will engage in a full-scale clash in episode 5 and stated that it will also be available on Netflix. The broadcast time is every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM, and according to the current scheduling information, episode 5 is scheduled to air on October 23.

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