--- title: Breaking Down 'Resident Playbook' description: The K-drama is set at a fictional hospital but its drama is informed by a real medical crisis canonical: https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/ author: Kayti Burt article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-04-16T21:38:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:17:01.309Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Breaking Down 'Resident Playbook' og:description: The K-drama is set at a fictional hospital but its drama is informed by a real medical crisis og:url: https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74edbf6c3dca64e1/6998c5e147fe51021255b9f5/resident-playbook.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: resident-playbook og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Breaking Down 'Resident Playbook' twitter:description: The K-drama is set at a fictional hospital but its drama is informed by a real medical crisis twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74edbf6c3dca64e1/6998c5e147fe51021255b9f5/resident-playbook.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How K-Drama _Resident Playbook_ Reflects the Stark Reality of a Medical System in Crisis by [Kayti Burt](/author/kayti-burt/) ## Kayti Burt Burt is a contributor for TIME. Apr 16, 2025 9:38 PM CUT  New residents take on the next step in their careers in the K-drama Resident Playbook New residents take on the next step in their careers in the K-drama Resident PlaybookCourtesy of Netflix by [Kayti Burt](/author/kayti-burt/) ## Kayti Burt Burt is a contributor for TIME. Apr 16, 2025 9:38 PM CUT When South Korean broadcaster tvN [greenlit medical drama _Resident Playbook_](https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/109/0004861817 "undefined"), in 2023, it probably seemed like a sure fire hit. The K-drama, now on Netflix, is a spinoff of the [mega-popular series](https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/hospital-playlist-2-records-highest-first-episode-viewership-rating-in-tvn "undefined") _Hospital Playlist_, cast talented up-and-comer Go Youn-jung (_Alchemy of Souls, Sweet Home_) in the lead role, and has Kim Song-hee (assistant writer for the critically acclaimed _Reply_ _1988_ series) at its helm. Then, [a medical crisis shook South Korea](https://time.com/6695779/south-korea-doctors-medical-school-quota-trainees-protest/ "undefined"), fracturing the social contract between doctors, the government, and the public. The release date of the new drama, which filmed in late 2023 and was originally slated to debut on Netflix in March 2024, was pushed back. It was unclear how releasing a series focused on resident physicians would play in a tense political climate in which [trainee doctors were resigning en masse](https://time.com/6696591/south-korea-doctor-strike/ "undefined") in protest of the government’s proposed plan for bolstering the health care system. A year later, _Resident Playbook_ has finally debuted. Its first two episodes are now streaming on Netflix, with new episodes coming every Saturday and Sunday through May 18\. Here’s what to know about the series and how it reflects the stark reality of South Korea’s medical system. ## **What is** **_Resident Playbook_** **about?** _Resident Playbook_ is set at the fictional Jongno Yulje Medical Center, a different branch of the university hospital seen in _Hospital Playlist_. While _Hospital Playlist_ is about a group of established doctors who first became friends ([and bandmates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3azsTJH-VAI&list=PLpqr-se75wgv9MtFVgKb80ix%5Ffd05T5t-&ab%5Fchannel=NetflixK-Content "undefined")) in medical school, _Resident Playbook_ follows a group of Gen Z junior doctors who are just beginning their residencies in the underserved fields of obstetrics and gynecology. Go stars as Oh I-yeong, an ex-rich kid whose family has gone bankrupt, leaving her 50 million won (roughly $35,000) in debt. With no other choice but to get a job, Oh returns to medicine, a field she previously flunked out of, helped by Ku Do-won (_Little Forest_’s Jung Joon-won), her brother-in-law's brother who also works at Yulje. Oh is joined by former high school classmate Pyo Nam-gyeong (_The Witch Part_ 2’s Shin Shi-ah), K-pop idol turned doctor Um Jae-il (_When Life Gives You Tangerine_’s Kang Yoo-seok), and socially awkward top student Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji, in her debut role). ## **How** **_Resident Playbook_** **portrays medical training** When not in crisis, South Korea has [one of the best healthcare systems in the world](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376359/health-and-health-system-ranking-of-countries-worldwide/ "undefined"), as judged by healthiness of population and access to healthcare. Doctors there are generally respected and well-paid. In a 2023 survey, [more than 60% of Korean office workers](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-02-24/national/socialAffairs/WHY-Whats-the-big-deal-with-becoming-a-doctor-in-Korea/1987416 "undefined") between the ages of 19 and 59 said they hope their children will go to med school in the future. The number one reason stated was because of the “stability” of the job. We meet _Resident Playbook_’s main characters just as they are beginning their residencies, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, or OB-GYN. By this point in their careers, the residents have made it almost all the way through an extremely competitive medical training process, completing a six-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (or 의학사) program, a year-long internship where they try out different specialties, and passing major exams to land in a residency. Doctors will take a specialist exam during the fourth year of their residency. If they pass, they will be qualified in that field. Some doctors do additional fellowship training for more specialized fields and/or to become a professor, like the main characters in _Hospital Playlist_. **Read more:** [**The Best Medical TV Shows to Watch After** **_The Pitt_**](https://time.com/7276361/shows-like-the-pitt/ "undefined") ## **Why are South Korea’s resident doctors striking?** Due to a [fast-aging population](https://time.com/6696414/south-korea-elderly-workforce/ "undefined") and a relatively [low number of doctors per capita](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/health/20230725/korea-ranks-2nd-lowest-in-number-of-doctors-among-oecd-nations "undefined") (2.6 per 1,000 people), the country faces [a projected shortage](https://www.mohw.go.kr/board.es?mid=a20401000000&bid=0032&list%5Fno=1480151&act=view "undefined") of around 15,000 healthcare professionals by 2035\. The doctor shortage has already begun to impact medical accessibility in rural regions, and in essential specialties, such as pediatrics, obstetrics, thoracic surgery, and emergency medicine. After a decade or more of grueling studying and training, doctors tend to prioritize paths that are stable, high-paying, and offer better working conditions. Doctors working in essential medical care deal with more life-or-death related health care, which comes with higher risk of litigation in a country that [has disproportionately high rates ](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2900766-9/fulltext "undefined")of criminal charges for medical errors. Pay and working conditions in these essential fields tend to be lower, especially compared to high-paying, lower-risk aesthetic medicines, such as dermatology. In February 2024, President Yoon [released a policy plan](https://www.mohw.go.kr/board.es?mid=a20401000000&bid=0032&list%5Fno=1480151&act=view "undefined") to address the doctor shortage. This plan included an increase to the annual number of medical school slots by 65%, from 3,000 to 5,058, beginning in 2025\. In response, [more than 10,000](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240226000851320 "undefined") of the country’s 13,000 trainee doctors resigned. In a show of solidarity, more than 5,000 medical students [requested leaves of absence](https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english%5Fedition/e%5Fnational/1131183 "undefined"). The mass resignations disrupted medical access, and had the government considering legal recourse. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), an organization that represents roughly two-thirds of the country’s doctors, backed up the collective action [with threats of “an indefinite strike”](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/health/20240217/doctors-warn-of-drastic-action-if-govt-continues-to-threaten-trainees "undefined") if the government sought retaliation against the residents and interns. Doctors and medical students argue that the government’s proposed plan will not address the deeper systemic issues in care access and quality, and that the rapid increase in medical student population will degrade the quality of education and training. The disagreement between the government and the medical community represents [a deeper fracturing of trust between the two entities](https://medium.com/@koryodynasty/long-read-why-south-korean-doctors-have-walked-off-the-job-c1678e1f883b "undefined"), further complicated by [President Yoon’s impeachment](https://time.com/7274736/south-korea-constitutional-court-confirms-impeachment-president-yoon-suk-yeol/ "undefined") and the [unexpected political transition](https://time.com/7275631/south-korea-election-june-president-yoon-impeached-lee-democratic-party/ "undefined") that has come with it. ## **How** **_Resident Playbook_** **reflects an ongoing medical crisis** _Resident Playbook_ was written and filmed before South Korea’s current medical crisis began. But its story is broadly informed by the systemic conditions that have led to the stalemate between the medical community and the government. As we learn in the first episode, Oh I-yeong is embarking on a medical residency for a second time. While the details surrounding her previous departure from medicine have not yet been revealed, it is implied that she was able to secure a residency spot at Jongno Yulje Medical Center in part because she is working in the [unpopular OB-GYN field](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-10-09/national/socialAffairs/As-birthrates-plummet-a-serious-ObGyn-shortage-looms-/1885682 "undefined"). The second episode of the series sees all four main characters strongly considering quitting their residencies, almost immediately worn down by the grueling labor conditions. The long, hectic hours represented on the show are accurate to [real-life residents’ working conditions](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11324171/ "undefined"). While Korean labor law dictates that workers can work a maximum of [52 hours per week](https://www.moel.go.kr/english/policy/laborStandards.do "undefined"), medical interns and residents can legally work up to 88 hours per week and up to 36-hour shifts. In reality, some trainee doctors [work over 100 hours per week](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overworked-unheard-south-korean-doctors-mass-walkout-say-2024-02-26/ "undefined"). Trainee doctors constitute 30% to 45% of the physician workforce in major teaching hospitals, part of a system that relies on resident and interns’ cheap labor to offset [the low reimbursement rates](https://pmejournal.org/articles/10.5334/pme.1426 "undefined") set by the government’s single-payer National Health Insurance System. While _Resident Playbook_ sees its characters reassured once they receive their first paycheck, trainee doctors earn [around $2,250](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Health-Care/South-Korea-s-trainee-doctors-continue-walkout-over-pay-hours "undefined") to [$2,900 per month](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-07-09/striking-doctors-in-south-korea-worry-that-a-plan-to-bolster-their-ranks-will-lower-their-salaries "undefined"), including overtime pay. With the long hours, the hourly rate can dip below minimum wage. This reality plays a role in interns and residents’ strong opposition to Yoon’s healthcare reform proposal, as they want [this long standing issue](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20100830/trainee-program-for-doctors-faces-major-surgery "undefined") of trainee doctors’ labor conditions and government-set low reimbursement rates to be adequately addressed before medical school quotas are increased. ## **_Resident Playbook_** **’s global ratings** The timing of _Resident Playbook_’s release during the ongoing medical crisis has not deterred viewers—the series earned solid ratings on tvN. The first episode [earned a 3.68% rating](https://mydramalist.com/article/resident-playbook-gets-a-promising-start-buried-hearts-concludes-with-an-all-time-high "undefined"), according to Nielsen Korean. It was the highest rated show in its time slot. While _Resident Playbook_’s premiere rating is lower than _Hospital Playlist_’s [6.3% premiere rating](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/04/13/QSEJXFEISRBBXGEPSLVBJ62I24/ "undefined") in 2020, it is higher than the 1.7% premiere rating earned by _The Potato Lab_, which previously held the time slot. Globally, _Resident Playbook_ has found success on Netflix, where it is currently in the Global Top Ten, at the time of this writing. It rose to the Korea Top Ten on Netflix [within two days of its launch](https://www.wikitree.co.kr/articles/1042370 "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/"},"headline":"How K-Drama Resident Playbook Reflects the Stark Reality of a Medical System in Crisis","datePublished":"2025-04-16T21:38:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:17:01.309Z","description":"The K-drama is set at a fictional hospital but its drama is informed by a real medical crisis","url":"https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/","keywords":["Television","freelance","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74edbf6c3dca64e1/6998c5e147fe51021255b9f5/resident-playbook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kayti Burt","jobTitle":"Burt is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/kayti-burt/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74edbf6c3dca64e1/6998c5e147fe51021255b9f5/resident-playbook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"resident-playbook","caption":"resident-playbook","creditText":"Courtesy of Netflix","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7278386/resident-playbook-netflix-medical-k-drama/","name":"How K-Drama Resident Playbook Reflects the Stark Reality of a Medical System in Crisis"}}]}] ```