A National Assembly petition demanding the suspension of the broadcast of the SBS drama "Doctor X: The Age of the White Mafia" has been filed over its depiction of the the 18th Democratization Movement.
According to the National Assembly's public consent petitions on the 25th, the petition titled "Petition Regarding the Suspension of the Broadcast of the SBS Drama Doctor X," registered the previous day, met the threshold of 100 supporters required for disclosure and is currently under review for publication. The petitioner demanded verification of the drama's production process and a halt to its broadcast.
The petitioner claimed, "In Episode 6 of 'Doctor X,' content related to the 18th that has absolutely nothing to do with the storyline appeared, causing many viewers to frown."
Continuing, the petitioner stated, "the 18th is a clear 'political issue' where political controversy is ongoing in some aspects due to differing perspectives between the ruling and opposition parties, and left-right views also differ to a certain extent. While there may be no disagreement that it is a painful history in the broader sense, it is difficult to accept the sudden use of the 18th, which involves political controversy in specific details, in a drama."
The petitioner further urged that the production team be designated as witnesses before the National Assembly to verify the production process and that review be conducted through institutional investors related to broadcast censorship.
The controversial scene appeared in Episode 6 of "Doctor X," which aired on the 24th. In the drama, Oh Sang-beom (played by Ha Seong-gwang) is depicted as a character who suffered a gunshot wound to the head during the the 18th Democratization Movement and has since endured chronic pain and hallucinations. Through Oh Sang-beom's story of living with the guilt of losing his older brother in childhood, the drama highlighted the suffering of the 18th victims.
A post made by the responsible producer (CP) on social media (SNS) after the broadcast also drew attention.
Lee Ok-gyu, Studio S CP who produced "Doctor X," posted the phrase "no fear" (fearless) on the drama's poster on the 24th. However, the CP did not separately explain the meaning of the phrase or the background behind its posting.
in ENTERTAINMENT
