As the collective resignation of residents protesting the government's expansion of medical school quotas has prolonged, the new tvN drama 'Someday, a Wise Resident Life' (hereafter 'Wise Resident Life'), which had been indefinitely postponed, is finally set to air after a year.
On the 12th, tvN announced, “'Someday, a Wise Resident Life' has confirmed its first broadcast on April 12.”
This spin-off drama from 'Wise Doctor Life' depicts the growth of residents dreaming of a wise medical life as they go through a period of uncertainty, featuring popular actors such as Go Yoon-jung (as Oh Yi-young), Shin Chia (as Pyo Nam-gyeong), Kang Yoo-seok (as Eom Jae-il), Han Ye-ji (as Kim Sa-bi), and Jung Jun-won (as Koo Do-won). Director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung, who directed 'Wise Doctor Life', are participating as creators.
Originally scheduled to air in May last year as a follow-up to 'Queen of Tears', promotional activities including a teaser released in March were conducted, but the scheduling was indefinitely postponed due to the residents' strike and collective resignation, which increased public backlash against medical personnel and formed negative public opinion about the medical field.
As the medical gap prolonged and the scheduling drifted for over a year, Netflix confirmed the scheduling of 'Someday, a Wise Doctor Life' following its first drama of the year, 'Severe Trauma Center', raising concerns.
The recently released 'Severe Trauma Center', which exposed the harsh reality of severe trauma treatment in Korea, featured a character inspired by Professor Lee Guk-jong, boldly challenging the absurdities of the medical field and receiving praise for presenting a different tone from existing K-medical dramas.
Riding on the success of 'Severe Trauma Center', the Disney+ original 'Hypernaiper' featuring Seol Kyung-gu and Park Eun-bin, along with Go Yoon-jung's starring role in tvN's 'Someday, a Wise Resident Life', will both seek viewers in March and April.
However, the current medical situation remains poor, making it premature to hope for the success of the work. On the 11th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated through data that “the total number of candidates for appointment in March this year is 1,672, which is only 12.4% of the 13,531 candidates from March last year.” This means that 11,859 residents have not returned to the training field, despite the government's promise to provide various special measures.
As 'Severe Trauma Center' concluded with positive reviews, attention is focused on whether 'Someday, a Wise Resident Life' will also resonate with viewers.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
