The Hidden 'Uideu' Amid Medical Crisis Gradually Moves to Living Rooms

Medical Residency Life and Trauma Center Released One After Another

'Someday, a Wise Resident Life' still cut. Provided by CJ ENM

Medical dramas that were indefinitely postponed last year due to doctors' strikes are being released one after another this year.

CJ ENM has decided to release the tvN drama spin-off "Someday, Our Uijeongbu Life" in April. It depicts the hospital life and friendships of obstetrics and gynecology residents at Jongno Yulje Hospital, a branch of Yulje Hospital, the setting of the original series.

Rising actors Go Yoon-jung, Cynthia, Han Ye-ji, Kang Yoo-seok, and others star in the drama, with director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung participating as creators. Directed by Lee Min-soo, who directed the one-act dramas "Stain" and "Meeting in a Strange Season," and written by Kim Song-hee, who worked as an assistant writer on the original series. It was scheduled to air in May last year as a follow-up to "Queen of Tears," but was postponed due to ongoing collective strikes by doctors opposing the increase in medical school quotas at the time.

When the government announced in February last year a plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000 and implement essential medical policies, doctors and medical students launched collective actions in opposition. Interns and residents, mainly from the Big 5 hospitals?Seoul National University, Severance, Samsung Seoul, Seoul Asan, and Seoul St. Mary's?left the medical field, which led to growing public resentment and the indefinite postponement of the drama's airing.

'Severe Trauma Center' still cut. Provided by Netflix

Considering public sentiment, medical dramas had remained out of sight but have recently started to meet viewers one by one. The online streaming service (OTT) Netflix released the series "Trauma Center" on the 24th. It tells an exhilarating story of Baek Kang-hyuk (played by Ju Ji-hoon), a genius surgeon who served on the battlefield, as he is assigned to revive a dysfunctional trauma team. The focus is on a heroic narrative rather than the doctor's sense of duty.

However, social conflicts have not yet been resolved. Since controversies regarding medical school quotas are expected to continue until 2026, it remains to be seen how the newly released medical dramas will be received.