SBS Doctor X to Premiere on October 9, Kim Ji-won Transforms into a Genius Surgeon

SBS new Friday-Saturday drama <Doctor X>

First broadcast on October 9 (Friday) at 9:50 PM

‘Doctor X’

Has become a ‘Medical Dark Hero’!

Kim Ji-won is set to score a career-defining role!

This time, a transformation into a ‘hit surgeon’ wearing a surgical gown!

“It is difficult to imagine Gye Su-jeong instead of Kim Ji-won”

Irreplaceable character portrayal! Predicting perfect synchronization as a ‘genius surgeon’!

- SBS ‘Doctor X’ Kim Ji-won, “Learning surgical scenes from experts” – Curiosity rises regarding the genius surgeon played by hit queen Kim Ji-won

- SBS ‘Doctor X’ Kim Ji-won, predicting overwhelming character portrayal that earned praise from director Lee Jeong-rim and Lee Jung-eun! Lee Jung-eun says, “An actor with incredible depth”

Hit queen Kim Ji-won, returning after two years, predicts breaking a new career-defining record through the new SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Doctor X’ (produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon, HighZium Studio/hereinafter 'Doctor X').

The new SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Doctor X’ (produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon, HighZium Studio/hereinafter 'Doctor X'), scheduled to premiere on October 9 (Friday), is a cathartic medical noir depicting the activities of Dr. X ‘Gye Su-jeong’, the ‘crazy lady of the operating room’ who breaks down massive corruption with genius surgical skills that know neither failure nor compromise. As the first medical genre entry in the ‘SBS Cathartic Universe’, which continues a unique lineage of hits with ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘The Fiery Priest’, and ‘The Judge from Hell’, it is garnering anticipation as SBS's top tentpole IP for the second half of the year.

Kim Ji-won, the hit queen returning after two years, draws attention by announcing her transformation into a ‘medical dark hero’. Previously, Kim Ji-won established herself as a trusted actress with a wide acting spectrum that crosses genres and characters, appearing in ‘Descendants of the Sun’ as Yoon Myeong-ju, ‘Fight for My Way’ as Choi Ae-ra, ‘My Liberation Notes’ as Yeom Mi-jeong, and ‘Queen of Tears’ as Hong Hae-in. In particular, in her previous work ‘Queen of Tears’, she perfectly portrayed a multi-dimensional character as a chaebol heiress with inner pain, oscillating between haughtiness and lovability, coolness and tenderness, instantly capturing home viewers and engraving her presence as a hit queen. Consequently, attention is focused on Kim Ji-won's next move as she shows a new face in every work.

In the midst of this, Kim Ji-won predicts the birth of a new career-defining role as Gye Su-jeong, the ‘crazy lady of the operating room’. Gye Su-jeong is a genius surgeon who uses her god-tier surgical skills as a weapon to break the ‘White Mafia’ cartel at Guseo University Hospital. Gye Su-jeong's cathartic actions, which ignore the power structure within the hospital and flip the board in her own way, will provide thrilling catharsis. Additionally, a deep narrative hidden behind her confidence, "I do not fail," doubles the multi-dimensional charm of the character. Kim Ji-won is expected to complete the new face of ‘Gye Su-jeong’ by densely unraveling everything from the refreshing side of a ‘medical dark hero’ who overcomes injustice to her deep inner self. In particular, Kim Ji-won heightened expectations by stating that she put special effort into her first proper doctor character, saying, "I spent time learning the techniques required for surgical scenes from consulting teachers and becoming sufficiently familiar with them."

Director Lee Jeong-rim, who directed ‘Doctor X’, praised, “Actor Kim Ji-won convincingly moved between the large gap of Gye Su-jeong's overwhelming presence in the operating room and her quirky, human side outside the operating room. It was difficult to imagine Gye Su-jeong instead of Kim Ji-won.” She also hinted that expectations for the appearance of the ‘medical dark hero’ Gye Su-jeong are increasing, noting, “In the case of the surgical scenes, the doctors who came as on-site consultants even applauded.” Lee Jung-eun, who plays ‘Jang Hui-suk’, predicting a womanly chemistry with Gye Su-jeong that goes beyond a business partnership, also expressed extraordinary trust, saying, “Whenever I made eye contact and acted with Kim Ji-won on set, I felt the emotional lines were naturally filled. I thought, 'As expected, she is an actor with incredible depth.'”

Accordingly, expectations for the actual broadcast of ‘Doctor X’, which will contain the birth of Kim Ji-won's ‘medical dark hero’, are soaring vertically.

As the most anticipated work for the second half of 2026 from the master of cathartic genres, SBS, the new SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Doctor X’ will premiere on October 9 (Friday) at 9:50 PM.

Photo: SBS 'Doctor X'

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◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution: SBS

· Category: Doctor X

· Distribution: October 1, 17:29

Source: SBS Press Release

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