Doctor X: Mafia in White — The surgeon fired after saving a patient

Su-jeong facing the hospital’s doctors on her first day · SBS

Doctor X: Mafia in White is a medical noir about skilled contract surgeon Gye Su-jeong and her clashes with hospital hierarchies. Kim Ji-won plays the surgeon focused on operating, while Lee Jung-eun plays agency director Jang Hee-sook, who negotiates her contracts and fees. SBS series introduction

Premiere / broadcast: October 9, 2026 · SBS Fridays and Saturdays, 9:50 p.m. KST · 12 episodes
Where to watch: Netflix in South Korea · SBS official VOD
Creative team: Director Lee Jeong-lim · Writer Pyeon Seong-geun
Based on: TV Asahi’s Japanese series Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon

A hospital that needs the surgeon but resists her

At Guseo University’s Seonam Hospital, Su-jeong prioritizes a patient’s condition over a superior’s judgment. She completes an operation for the hospital director and saves the patient, but is dismissed, returning after a new director takes over. News1 coverage of episode 1

Su-jeong at the pool hall where she first meets Tae-kyeong · SBS

Hee-sook negotiates her return on terms that exclude professors’ papers and work dinners from her duties. SBS Entertainment News: episode 2

The surgeon, her negotiator and the hospital staff

Gye Su-jeong — Kim Ji-won

A contract surgeon assigned to Seonam Hospital through Hee-sook’s agency. She handles difficult operations and follows her surgical judgment rather than a superior’s authority.

Jang Hee-sook — Lee Jung-eun

The agency owner negotiates Su-jeong’s assignments and fees. They are not related, but she is an aunt-like figure to the surgeon.

Bu Seung-kwon — Son Hyun-joo

Seonam Hospital’s new director brings the dismissed Su-jeong back. His medical work is entangled with the institution’s power struggles.

Park Tae-kyeong — Kim Woo-seok

An intern at Seonam Hospital who begins trusting Su-jeong after watching her emergency treatment at a pool hall.

Jo Won-jin — Lee Jin-hee

A professor of anesthesiology at Seonam Hospital. She speaks her mind and remains calm during difficult operations.

A Korean adaptation combining surgery and hospital politics

Director Lee Jung-rim and writer Pyeon Seong-geun adapt the Japanese drama Doctor-X. Difficult operations develop alongside hospital rank, donations and power struggles, with questions also emerging about Su-jeong’s past. SBS introduction · Official character information

Broadcast details, Korean Netflix and the official teaser

On October 30, 2026, Netflix Korea listed episodes 1–6. The ongoing drama airs on SBS on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. KST. Netflix series page

Watch the teaser on SBS’s official channel · Netflix · SBS VOD

Netflix’s global non-English TV chart for October 19–25 placed it second with 5.8 million views. Netflix official weekly chart

Satisfying performances, questions about repetition

Korean personal blogger Bbangna_ finds the challenges to authoritarian doctors satisfying. Writing for K-waves and Beyond, Shabnam Jahan also praises Kim Ji-won’s confident performance and the humor arising from hospital politics. Bbangna_·October 19, 2026·Episodes 1–2 · Shabnam Jahan·October 11, 2026·Episodes 1–2

Bbangna_ asks whether repeatedly overturning situations through surgery can remain engaging. MASASHA’s Sari praises the early clues and their payoff, but criticizes a simplistic villain, a passive intern, clustered late-episode twists and the recurring clocking-off gag. Korean personal review · Sari·October 25, 2026·Episode 1 review

Reporting has also covered criticism of the medical and historical material. The Korea Herald’s Lee Yoon-seo reported concerns about surgical procedures and decision-making on October 12, and a petition seeking the show’s suspension over its Episode 6 depiction of the May 18 Democratization Movement on October 26. The reviews and reports contain episode twists and operation outcomes. October 12, 2026 report · October 26, 2026 report

If you’re looking for similar stories

Doctor Cha · Netflix — A woman returns to medicine as a first-year resident after twenty years away. For viewers interested in a female doctor finding her place, it offers a different starting point involving career and family.

Sources and image credits

Official images: SBS; captions link to the original gallery or cast page. This guide draws on official programme, character and episode descriptions and broadcast reporting. Sources and viewing information checked October 30, 2026.

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