SBS is teeing up its next tentpole, locking in Kim Ji-won, Lee Jung-eun, Son Hyun-joo, and Kim Woo-seok to star in "Doctor X: The White Mafia Era"(literal title).
Set for 2026, the new Friday-Saturday drama (from Studio S, Studio Dragon, and HighZium Studio) is a medical noir about a maverick surgeon known as “Doctor X,” Gye Soo-jung, who polices her own profession and cuts into a corrupt medical cartel―the so-called “white-coat mafia.” It’s the latest from the network behind fist-pumping crowd-pleasers like "Taxi Driver," "The Fiery Priest," "Flex x Cop," and "The Judge from Hell."
Producers unveiled the powerhouse lineup on the 18th. Kim Ji-won takes the title role as Gye Soo-jung, a top talent from Jang Hee-sook’s Doctor Temp Agency who’s dispatched to plug a critical gap in Guseo University Hospital’s surgical team. A terror in the OR who lets her scalpel do the talking, she’s out to put the rotten power structure of medicine on the operating table. Fresh off buzzy turns in "Queen of Tears," "My Liberation Notes," "Fight for My Way," and "Descendants of the Sun," Kim is poised to anchor "Doctor X" with another defining performance.
Esteemed scene-stealer Lee Jung-eun plays Jang Hee-sook, the money-savvy head of that doctor placement agency. She may come off loud and flashy, but she’s a shrewd operator who even weaponizes her public image for business. After acclaimed work in "Parasite," "Our Blues," and "The Light in Your Eyes," anticipation is high for the new shade she’ll bring to "Doctor X."
Son Hyun-joo steps in as Boo Seung-kwon, the director of a Guseo University Hospital branch. Known for commanding turns in "Your Honor," "The Good Detective," and "The Chaser," Son will portray a leader determined to rebuild a crumbling teaching hospital―bringing equal parts steel and soul to the role.
Rising actor Kim Woo-seok ("The Forbidden Marriage," "Military Prosecutor Doberman") plays Park Tae-kyung, a golden-boy intern whose hospital life is thrown into chaos after crossing paths with Gye Soo-jung. The only son of a major regional hospital, he’s warm-hearted and clear-eyed―and his fresh chemistry with Kim Ji-won is already a talking point.
Stacked with heavy-hitting talent, the medical noir "Doctor X: The White Mafia Era" is slated to air on SBS in 2026.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)