Kim Ji Won is taking on one of the most intense roles of her career as a brilliant surgeon and dark hero in SBS’s upcoming medical noir drama Doctor X: The Era of the White Mafia.
Set to premiere on October 9, Doctor X follows Gye Soo Jung, a highly skilled surgeon who refuses to compromise and uses her abilities to challenge corruption and abuse of power inside a university hospital.
The drama marks SBS’s first major medical entry in its lineup of action-driven series known for characters taking on powerful systems. Director Lee Jung Rim, who previously worked on VIP and Revenant, is leading the project, while the cast also includes Lee Jung Eun, Son Hyun Joo, and Kim Woo Seok.
Kim Ji Won plays Gye Soo Jung, a surgeon sent to Guseo University Hospital through a medical staffing agency to fill a shortage in its surgical department.
Her character is known for being completely focused on surgery and relying on her skills rather than hospital politics. After arriving at the hospital, she begins disrupting its established power structure while confronting questionable practices within the fictional institution.
The newly released stills highlight Kim Ji Won’s dramatic transformation.
In one image, she appears in a black leather coat instead of a traditional white doctor’s coat, giving Gye Soo Jung a distant and unconventional image. Her calm expression and intense gaze emphasize the character’s position as an outsider entering an unfamiliar system.
Another still shows Kim Ji Won inside the operating room, where Gye Soo Jung appears fully focused on a procedure. Her serious expression reflects the character’s confidence and precision as a surgeon.
Even while wearing a more traditional white coat, the character maintains a rebellious and determined presence, hinting at how she will confront those standing in her way.
The production team praised Kim Ji Won’s transformation, saying, “From the first shoot, Kim Ji Won became Gye Soo Jung through everything from her voice and gaze to her habits.”
They added, “It is difficult to imagine Gye Soo Jung being played by anyone other than Kim Ji Won. Please look forward to the birth of a new medical dark hero.”
With Doctor X, Kim Ji Won will enter the medical noir genre for the first time, showing a darker and more forceful side as a surgeon who challenges the powerful figures surrounding her.
Doctor X: The Era of the White Mafia premieres October 9 on SBS.
