"Doctor X" Episode 3 surpasses 16.9% viewership rating... Hospital structure exposed and Jinyoung case twist

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama ’Doctor X: The Era of the White Mafia’ surpassed a 15% viewership rating by its third episode. Episode 3, which aired on the 16th, recorded a peak rating of 16.9%, 15.1% nationwide, and 14.9% in the metropolitan area according to Nielsen Korea, with the 2049 demographic rating also reaching a peak of 5.23% and an average of 4.7%. In this episode, an emergency situation occurred when hospital cleaning staff member Yeo Jeong-sun (played by Shin Hye-kyung) collapsed due to a cerebral hemorrhage. While waiting in the emergency room, Kye Soo-jung (played by Kim Ji-won) noticed abnormal signs in Jeong-sun and performed a craniotomy. Despite opposition from the medical staff who said she was not qualified as a neurosurgeon, Jang Hee-sook (played by Lee Jung-eun) brought her certification documents, allowing the surgery to proceed. The operation was successfully completed, and Bu Seung-kwon (played by Son Hyun-joo) said, ″It’s perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a surgery.″ At Guseo University Hospital, suspicions arose that Kye Soo-jung’s surgical technique resembled that of the mysterious doctor known as ’Doctor X.’ A patient who underwent surgery performed by Doctor X in the past died two months later, and the medical records only listed ’Doctor X’ as the surgeon instead of a real name. The medical staff expressed concerns about the risks of the same method, but Bu Seung-kwon assigned Kye Soo-jung to the emergency room, saying, ″If something goes wrong, someone has to be left responsible.″ The broadcast also revisited the situation leading up to the first anniversary of the death of Guseo University Hospital emergency medical technician Seo Jin-young (played by Kang Joon-seok), when the golden hour was missed due to the absence of medical staff qualified to perform a craniotomy. Kim Sung-jin (played by Heo Jun-seok) expressed guilt over this, and Jang Hee-sook pointed out the shortage of personnel capable of performing craniotomies at Guseo University Hospital. During a post-surgery meeting, when the neurosurgery professors tried to evade responsibility by saying, ″Doctors are human too,″ Kye Soo-jung sharply responded, ″Are you the only humans? Patients are humans too.″ Instead of holding a scheduled inauguration ceremony, Bu Seung-kwon held a press conference acknowledging that Seo Jin-young’s death stemmed from structural problems in the medical system and apologized to the bereaved family, the public, and hospital staff. Regarding Jin-young’s death, it was revealed that Kim Sung-jin was the person who anonymously exposed the hospital’s issues on an online bulletin board, but the actual author was Bae Heung-gon (played by Lee Sung-wook), with Yoon Sik also assisting. Meanwhile, after Kye Soo-jung’s successful surgery, Jang Hee-sook proposed new contract terms to Bu Seung-kwon, emphasizing the need for compensation. However, Bu Seung-kwon postponed the contract with Kye Soo-jung and brought in a new surgeon, Na Dae-il (played by Jang Seung-jo), who announced, ″I will be working in the surgery department starting today.″ Episode 4 of ’Doctor X’ will air on the 17th at 9:50 PM.