As the collective resignation of residents in protest against the government's expansion of medical school quotas has prolonged, the new tvN drama ‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’ (hereafter ‘Sl Life’), which had its scheduling indefinitely postponed, is now set to air. With the residents' strike still ongoing, public sentiment is not favorable; is it really okay to proceed like this?
On the afternoon of the 10th, the production presentation for tvN's new weekend drama ‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’ (Creator Shin Won-ho, Lee Woo-jung / Director Lee Min-soo / Screenwriter Kim Song-hee / Planning CJ ENM Studios / Production Egg is Coming) was held in Guro-gu, Seoul. Creator Shin Won-ho, Director Lee Min-soo, and actors Go Yoon-jung, Cynthia, Kang Yoo-seok, Han Ye-ji, and Jung Jun-won attended.
‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’ is a spin-off drama of ‘Wise Doctor Life’ that depicts the growth process of residents dreaming of a wise medical life through their rookie period. Creator Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung, who directed ‘Wise Doctor Life’, are participating in this project.
Creator Shin Won-ho explained, “This is the first time for both writer Lee Woo-jung and me to attempt a spin-off. Many people wanted to expand the universe. As seen in the title, there is a connection to ‘Wise Doctor Life’. This work will depict the process of a rookie who is not yet wise becoming wise. I think it will be a touching coming-of-age story, a youthful growth medical drama that we haven’t seen in a while.”
Regarding the choice of obstetrics and gynecology as the backdrop for the story, Director Lee Min-soo stated, “Obstetrics is divided into obstetrics, which deals with childbirth, and gynecology, which deals with diseases. On one side, new life is being born, and on the other side, someone is being sent away due to illness. It’s a mysterious space. I think the growth narrative of young professionals fits well with obstetrics, allowing for various episodes to emerge.”
Originally scheduled to air as a follow-up to ‘Queen of Tears’ in May of last year, promotional activities were conducted up to the release of a teaser in March, but the scheduling was indefinitely postponed due to the residents' strike and collective resignations, which increased public backlash against medical personnel and formed negative public opinion about the medical field.
After a year of concerns, the situation for ‘Sl Life’, which has finally been scheduled, is not good. The current medical situation remains unfavorable.
On March 11, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced through data that “the total number of candidates for appointment this March is 1,672, which is 12.4% of the 13,531 candidates from March of last year.” This means that despite the government offering various special measures, 11,859 individuals did not return to the training field.
In particular, according to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to the office of Kim Yoon, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly, the number of applicants for the first half of the training residency recruitment for those wishing to return was at a catastrophic level. It was revealed that only one person applied for the notoriously avoided field of obstetrics and gynecology.
Additionally, the fact that the previous dramas of ‘Sl Life’, ‘Ask the Stars’ and ‘Potato Research Institute’, both recorded humiliating ratings in the 1% range, is also a concern. It remains uncertain whether ‘Sl Life’ can achieve good results and succeed amid the ongoing negative public sentiment.
Creator Shin Won-ho stated, “There is an image that we are bringing a lot of reality, so we are receiving questions about whether it aligns with reality. We are a team that creates fictional stories based on plausible narratives and fills the details with reality. A drama is about creating fictional stories. Many people call it fantasy, but we are a team trying to depict what many people want. If that leads to good results, that’s great; what we are called is not important. We produced the work with what we wanted to convey.”
He continued, “We were anxious. The concern we had was one thing. After submitting the script and starting filming, the residents' situation arose in the middle, and we still don’t know when it will end. I was most worried that the beautiful stories of young people would be misinterpreted due to other reasons or logic. That’s why we postponed the scheduling.”
He added, “What we create and present is our responsibility. What the viewers see is entirely up to them. The judgment of all viewers is in the hands of those watching, so we can only wait for their decision. However, I sincerely hope that many people will watch it. We worked very hard. If it doesn’t get seen for other reasons, it would break my heart.”
Starring Go Yoon-jung (as Oh Yi-young), along with Cynthia (as Pyo Nam-gyeong), Kang Yoo-seok (as Eom Jae-il), Han Ye-ji (as Kim Sa-bi), and Jung Jun-won (as Gu Do-won), a total of young actors will participate. Additionally, the five main characters from ‘Wise Doctor Life’, Jo Jung-seok (as Lee Ik-jun), Jeon Mi-do (as Chae Song-hwa), Jung Kyung-ho (as Kim Jun-wan), Yoo Yeon-seok (as Ahn Jeong-won), and Kim Dae-myung (as Yang Seok-hyung) will make special appearances in ‘Sl Life’.
The new tvN weekend drama ‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’ will premiere on Saturday, the 12th, at 9:10 PM.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
