''Doctor John'' () is a 2019

South Korean television series Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

starring

Ji Sung Ji Sung (born Kwak Tae-geun on 27 February 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' All In'' (2003), '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' (2004), ''New Heart'' (2007), ''Protect the Boss'' (2011), ' ...

Lee Se-young Lee Se-young (; born December 20, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a child actress in 1997 and was best known for her roles in ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' When I Turned Nine'' (2004), ''Lovely Rivals'' (2004), and ''The Wonder ...

Lee Kyu-hyung Lee Kyu-hyung (Korean: 이규형; born November 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. Though primarily a musical actor, Lee has also appeared in a variety of Korean films and dramas. In 2017, Lee shot to fame with his portrayal of Yoo Han-yang in ...

, and

Hwang Hee Hwang Hee (born Kim Ji-soo; October 18, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Tomorrow, with You'' (2017), ''Arthdal Chronicles ''Arthdal Chronicles'' () is a 2019 South Korean television serie ...

. It is based on the Japanese novel ''On Hand of God'' by Yo Kusakabe and aired on SBS from July 19 to September 7, 2019. A recurring theme throughout the series is the debate over

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

Synopsis

Cha Yo-han (

) is a doctor of anesthesiology. He acts strange sometimes, but he is a genius at his work. Kang Shi-young (

) is a resident of anesthesiology who works with Cha Yo-han. She is smart, warm and listens carefully to her patients. People, with mysterious acute or chronic pain come to the hospital. There, Cha Yo-han and Kang Shi-young try to find the causes of their pain and treat them.

Cast

Main

as Cha Yo-han / John Cha ** Park Shi-wan as young Yo-han :A talented anesthesiologist who spent three years in prison for performing

on a dying patient whose pain he could not reduce. He is often called "Ten Seconds" as he can diagnose one's disease very quickly. He secretly suffers from CIPA until it was exposed by Chae Eun-jeong, who held hatred towards Yo-han for ending the life of her daughter's murderer with euthanasia. *

as Kang Shi-young :A second year resident who was a top student at medical school. She took a break during her studies after she could not save her father in an accident. She decided to come back to the hospital after working at the prison where she met Yo-han. *

as Son Seok-ki :A prosecutor who is against the practice of euthanasia. He was present during Yo-han's trial and wanted to sentence him to ten years in prison. He holds a grudge against the doctor who ended the life of Yoon Sung-gyu, a murderer who killed Seok-ki's son. He suffers from

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

. It was also shown that he was an opponent to the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, viewing as an act nothing less than murder, albeit a legally-sanctioned one. *

as Lee Yoo-joon :He is a fellow of the Anesthesiology Department. He first wanted to prove Yo-han wrong as the doctor corrected his misdiagnosis twice when he was an inmate, but eventually decided to learn from him instead.

Supporting

Hanse Hospital Pain Management Team

Jung Min-ah Jung Min-ah (born March 3, 1994) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress, starring in television dramas such as '' Damo'' (2003), '' Fashion 70's'' (2005) and ''Time Between Dog and Wolf ''Time Between Dog and Wol ...

as Kang Mi-rae :A third year resident and Shi-young's younger sister who was allergic to animal hair, including cats. She had a strained relationship with Shi-young over the health of their comatose father. *

Kwon Hwa-woon Kwon Hwa-woon is a South Korean actor and model. He is known for his roles in ''Lie After Lie'', ''Sky Castle'', ''Doctor John,'' ''Zombie Detective'' ''and Mouse.'' He also appeared in movie ''Northern Limit Line The Northern Limit Line or ...

as Heo Joon :A fourth year resident. * Oh Hyun-joong as Kim Won-hee :A first year resident. * Son San as Nurse Hong :She has been a nurse for 20 years. *

Lee Yoo-mi Lee Yoo-mi (; born July 18, 1994) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles as Ji-yeong in ''Squid Game'' (2021) and Lee Na-yeon in '' All of Us Are Dead'' (2022). For the former, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Gue ...

as Na Kyeong-ah :She has been a nurse for 3 years.

People at Hanse Hospital

Kim Hye-eun Kim Hye-eun ( born March 1, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Kim began working as an announcer for the MBC network in 1997, first at a local affiliate in Cheongju, then later as a weathercaster of the main news desk in Seoul. After eight years ...

as Min Tae-kyeong :Chief of the Anesthesiology Department. Shi-young and Mi-rae's mother. *

Kim Young-hoon Kim Young-Hoon (born October 2, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series References External links * * * * * 1978 births Living people South Korean male television actors Sout ...

as Han Myeong-oh :A lawyer specialized in medical affairs. *

Um Hyo-sup Um Hyo-sup (born October 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Um mostly plays supporting roles in films and television dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed i ...

as Kang I-moon :Director of Hanse Hospital. * Oh Seung-hyun as Min Joo-kyeong :Professor of the Anesthesiology Department. Shi-young and Mi-rae's aunt. * Jung Jae-sung as Kwon Seok :Professor of the Anesthesiology Department.

Patients

Ham Sung-min Ham Sung-min is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Sweet Revenge'', ''Save the Family'', ''Gangnam Beauty'', ''Tunnel'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies such as ''Psychokinesis'', '' The ...

as Yoon Seong-kyu :An anal cancer patient. He was a child murderer who murdered Seok-ki's son and Eun-jeong's daughter, but before he could be punished by law, Seong-kyu was hospitalised for terminal cancer and thus Yo-han allegedly ended his life with euthanasia as Seong-kyu could not bear the torment of his illness any longer. * Kim Do-hoon as Park Jung-bo :Inmate 5353 who suffers from

Fabry disease Fabry disease, also known as Anderson–Fabry disease, is a rare genetic disease that can affect many parts of the body, including the kidneys, heart, and skin. Fabry disease is one of a group of conditions known as lysosomal storage diseases. T ...

. Also a barista. *

Ha Do-kwon Ha Do-kwon (born Kim Yong-goo on March 3, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is mainly known for his roles in ''Hot Stove League'' and '' The Penthouse: War in Life''. Education Ha graduated from Seoul National University in 2004, majoring in ...

as Joo Hyeong-woo :A Mixed Martial Arts Champion who suffers from

Myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, dro ...

. *

Yoon Chan-young Yoon Chan-young (born April 25, 2001) is a South Korean actor. He began his career as a child actor and gained wider recognition for his appearance and fame in the 2022 Netflix series, ''All of Us Are Dead ''All of Us Are Dead'' () is a S ...

as Lee Gi-seok :A CIPA patient and high school student. * Lee Ju-won as Choi Seung-won :A

Shingles Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. ...

patient (first mistaken for CRPS). * Lee Do-kyung as Yu Dok-gyu :A

melioidosis Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium called ''Burkholderia pseudomallei''. Most people exposed to ''B. pseudomallei'' experience no symptoms; however, those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms t ...

patient. * Chun Young-min as Lee Da-hae :A

phantom limb A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached. Approximately 80 to 100% of individuals with an amputation experience sensations in their amputated limb. However, only a small percentage will experience painf ...

patient. * Oh Yu-na as Yu Ri-hye :A former actress who suffers from

neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the neck, chest, abdomen, or spine. Symptoms may include bone pain, a lump in the ...

Others

Shin Dong-mi Shin Dong-mi (born 29 November 1977) is a South Korean actress. Career She made her debut as a theater actor in 1998. The following year, she started to act as a musical actor in 1999, and then she started her career as a TV actress in 2001 ...

as Chae Eun-jeong :A nurse at an hospice center. Yo-han ended the life of her daughter's murderer and terminal cancer patient Yoon Seong-kyu, who also killed Seok-ki's son, which caused Eun-jeong to hate Yo-han for it. * Jang Hee-soo as professor :A professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. * Kim Gyul as Seong Dong-ho :A professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. *

Yoon Joo-sang Yoon Joo-sang (born June 25, 1949) is a South Korean actor. In 2009, he won the Best Supporting Actor award during the 2009 KBS Drama Awards for his role in ''Iris''.'' Filmography Film *''Cane (Hoichori)'' (2011) *'' Miss Gold Digger'' (2007) ...

as Lee Won-gil :Former Minister of Health and Welfare. He supports the practice of euthanasia. * Moon Hak-jin as Kim Jung-woo :A third year resident in ophthalmology. * Kim Seung-hoon as a prison guard

Special appearances

Jeon No-min Jun No-min (born Jun Jae Yong on August 28, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Among his recent roles were the villainous Hwarang warrior Seolwon in ''Queen Seondeok'', and the fictional independence fighter Damsari in '' Bridal Mask''. Filmograp ...

as Kang I-soo, hospital's chairman and Shi-young's father. * Jung In-gi as Oh Jeong-nam, Shi-young's uncle and prison warden. * Jung Kyung-soon as Yoo-joon's mother and owner of a restaurant. * Lim Dong-jin as Shim Joon-cheol, a neurology professor and Yo-han's doctor.

Production

According to director Jo Soo-won, the series was in development since 2014, the year when SBS bought the rights to adapt Yo Kusakabe's ''On Hand of God'' as a TV series. Early working titles of the series are ''Doctor Room'' () and ''Pain Doctor Cha Yo-han'' (). The first script reading took place in March 2019 at SBS Ilsan Production Center in Tanhyun, South Korea.

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Viewership

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Works by Studio Dragon Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows 2019 South Korean television series debuts 2019 South Korean television series endings Television shows based on Japanese novels South Korean medical television series Television series by Studio Dragon