‘Hospital Playlist’, ‘Dr. Romantic’, ‘Doctor John’, ‘Yong Pal’ & more: 7 medical K-Dramas to watch

1. Hospital Playlist (2020 & 2021) 

The series follows five doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since they entered medical school in 1999. Lee Ik Jun is an assistant professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants. He takes care of his young son as a single father after getting divorced from his absent wife. His cheerful charisma allows him to connect with many people, making him a popular figure among both patients and other doctors. Unapologetically good at anything he puts his mind to, Ahn Jeong Won, an assistant professor of pediatric surgery, is generous and caring, endearing him to his patients. He is a devout Catholic and secretly plans to become a priest due to the pain caused by seeing his patients suffer. Kim Junwan is an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, who appears cold and professional. However, he hides a soft, kind temperament that rarely shows, only surfacing with his friends and certain patients. Yang Seok Hyeong, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is an aloof and introverted doctor. Though he comes off as detached, he is willing to go the extra mile for the female patients under his watch. He is divorced and deeply cares for his mother. Chae Song Hwa, the only female in the group of friends, is an associate professor of neurosurgery. She is considered perfect by her colleagues: she treats patients kindly, performs hundreds of successful surgeries, and has a great personality.

Dr. Romantic (2016 & 2020) 

The first season is a story about Boo Yong Joo (Han Suk Kyu), a triple-board certified surgeon, who was once at the top of his field and used to work at Seoul's top medical center, Geosan University Hospital. After a traumatic incident, he disappears and changes his name to Kim Sa-bu. He begins working at a small hospital named Doldam, located in Gangwon Province. He guides Kang Dong Joo (Yoo Yeon Seok) and Yoon Seo Jeong (Seo Hyun Jin) to become great doctors by teaching them to fight against power and money for the sake of patients. The second season forwards to three years later following the events of first season, Kim Sa Bu visits Geosan University Hospital to recruit a general surgeon. He finds Seo Woo Jin (Ahn Hyo Seop), a doctor with a troubled past who is ostracized by his fellow doctors, and offers him the job. In the meantime, Cha Eun Jae (Lee Sung Kyung) is suspended after making another mistake in the operation room and has no other choice but to follow the two doctors to Doldam Hospital. 

Doctor John 

The drama follows Cha Yo Han (Ji Sung) who is a doctor of anesthesiology. He acts strange sometimes, but he is a genius at his work. Kang Si Young (Lee Se Young) is a resident of anesthesiology who works with Cha Yo Han. She is smart, warm and listens carefully to her patients. People with mysterious acute or chronic pain come to the hospital. There, Cha Yo Jan and Kang Si Young try to find the causes of their pain and treat them.

Yong Pal 

The drama shows Kim Tae Hyun who is a talented surgeon. Desperate for money to pay for his sister's medical bills, he adopts the code name Yong Pal and offers his medical skills to those in need of medical attention but who cannot do so publicly, dealing with criminals and corrupt plutocrats. Joining a team of corrupt physicians He rescues ‘sleeping beauty’ Han Yeo Jin (Kim Tae Hee), a chaebol heiress, from a medically induced coma, leading to unintended consequences. 

Doctors 

Yoo Hye Jung (Park Shin Hye) was a headstrong girl in high school with a prickly, gangster personality. Due to her many childhood scars, Hye Jung keeps her heart closed towards other people. However, she changes after meeting her mentor Hong Ji Hong (Kim Rae Won), who plays a key role in transforming her life from a ‘hopeless’ delinquent to a compassionate doctor. They parted ways due to a report of their close relationship, which was reported by a fellow student but subsequently met again after 13 years, when Yoo Hye Jung had become a successful doctor.

Doctor Stranger 

As a child, Park Hoon (Lee Jong Suk) and his father Park Cheol (Kim Sang Joong) were tricked and sent to North Korea. In North Korea, Park Hoon was trained to become a doctor by his father who was already a famous doctor. He became a genius cardiothoracic surgeon after attending medical school in North Korea. There, he fell deeply in love with Song Jae Hee (Jin Se Yeon). He tried to flee to South Korea with Jae Hee, but lost contact with her in the end. Park Hoon was able to flee to South Korea alone. In South Korea, Park Hoon began to work as a doctor in a top hospital, Myungwoo University Hospital. Meanwhile, he found a girl that looks exactly like Jae Hee, Doctor Han Seung Hee, who claims not to know Park Hoon.

Good Doctor 

Park Si On (Joo Won) is a savant on the autism spectrum who was sent to a specialized care center as a child, where he was discovered to have a genius-level memory and keen spatial skills. He eventually enters the field of pediatric surgery as a resident, where he is given six months to prove himself capable. However, due to his atypical mental and emotional condition, Si On faces conflict from his peers and patients, who view him as childlike and unreliable. 

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Which drama did you add to the watchlist? Let us know in the comments below.