New K-Drama Doctors Are In: From Psychiatrists to Forensic Pathologists, These Characters Are Changing the Game
If you’re already missing Resident Playbook and its crew of lovable first-year residents, don’t worry — some fresh new K-doctors are stepping in to fill that void. Shows like The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (Netflix) and Hyper Knife (Disney+) have been grabbing attention lately, and now even more series are diving into the lives of doctors… but with a twist.
Let’s check out the new faces that are rewriting what it means to be a “doctor” on screen, each in their own unique and dramatic ways.
- Korean Drama: Hunter with a Scalpel
- Hangul: 메스를 든 사냥꾼
- Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Crime
- Director: Lee Jung Hoon
- Number of Episodes: 16
- Release date: Jun 16, 2025
- Watch On: U+mobiletv, Disney+
- Running time: 30 min.
Park Ju-hyun as Seo Se-hyeon in Hunter with a Scalpel
Genius forensic pathologist on a dark mission to hunt her serial killer dad
Disney+ is dropping Hunter with a Scalpel on June 16th, and it’s already raising eyebrows. Park Ju-hyun plays Seo Se-hyeon, a genius with antisocial personality disorder and mad forensic skills. One day, while doing an autopsy, she spots something terrifying — signs that her father (played by Park Yong-woo), who she thought was long gone, might be a serial killer who dissects bodies. Yikes.
And no, she’s not just tagging along with the cops. Seo Se-hyeon’s taking matters into her own hands, stepping out of the lab and into a brutal chase. The vibe? Super intense. While she’s all sharp edges and cool detachment, there’s Jung Jeong Hyeon (Kang Hoon), a detective with a warm, human touch, who balances the emotional scale. This one’s more revenge thriller than hospital drama — and it’s definitely not your typical medical show.
Gong Myung as Seo Ui Jun in Second Shot at Love
Psychiatrist in a quiet town, caught between healing others and facing his past
Over on tvN, Second Shot at Love just started airing on May 12th. It’s a romance, sure, but don’t let that fool you — it’s also about a psychiatrist who’s way more than just his love life. Gong Myung plays Seo Ui Jun, who works at the Bocheon Public Health Center, giving lectures on alcohol abstinence and making house calls for residents in a town where medical access is tough.
Here’s the kicker — he’s a total teetotaler, shaped by something in his past, and he’s known affectionately as “Seo-nim” by the locals. But things get messy when his first love, Han Geum-joo (played by Choi Soo-young), comes back into his life. She’s a heavy drinker, and their old engagement ended because of that very clash. Now, her return is shaking up Seo Ui Jun’s neatly arranged world.
It’s not a medical drama in the traditional sense, but it does center the doctor’s day-to-day — just without all the surgery and hospital chaos.
Not Just White Coats and Scalpels Anymore
From emergency rooms and hospitals to rural clinics and crime labs, Korean dramas are serving up doctor characters like we’ve never seen before. The emotional rollercoaster of Resident Playbook made us laugh and cry with young residents, and now, these new stories are expanding what it means to be a K-drama doctor.
And with shows like Hunter with a Scalpel and Second Shot at Love mixing medicine with personal demons, serial killers, and small-town struggles, it’s clear we’re in for a wild ride.
