Petition seeks to halt SBS drama Doctor X after Gwangju episode
The petition was posted on the National Assembly site a day after episode 6, which drew the show's highest ratings of 19.5%, according to Nielsen Korea.
A public petition calling for the suspension of the SBS drama Doctor X was posted on the South Korean National Assembly's public petition site on October 25, 2026, a day after the show's sixth episode aired, according to rbbtoday.com. The petition is titled "Petition to Suspend Broadcast of SBS Doctor X."
Episode 6, broadcast on October 24, centred on a patient named Oh Sang-beom, who suffered a gunshot wound as a child. The episode referenced the Gwangju Incident through the patient's trauma and through an imaginary former president named Ji Du-seok, who is brought to the hospital unconscious.
The petition reached the 100 signatures required for a review of whether it should be made public. It follows an earlier petition filed in the drama's first week of broadcast by a practising doctor, who argued that the show's direction could instil a mistaken perception of medical reality.
The episode drew 19.5% nationwide and 19.2% in the Seoul metropolitan area, the show's highest ratings, according to Nielsen Korea.
Studio S chief producer Lee Ok-kyu posted the phrase "no fear" alongside a poster of the drama on social media. Kim Ji-won plays the lead in the Korean adaptation of the Japanese series Doctor X.
Quick answers
Why was a petition filed against SBS's Doctor X?
A petition titled "Petition to Suspend Broadcast of SBS Doctor X" was posted on the National Assembly's public petition site on October 25, 2026, after episode 6 referenced the Gwangju Incident.
What ratings did Doctor X episode 6 get?
Episode 6 recorded 19.5% nationwide and 19.2% in the Seoul metropolitan area, the show's highest ratings, according to Nielsen Korea.