''Surgeon Bong Dal-hee'' () is a 2007 South Korean

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

television series starring

Lee Yo-won Lee Yo-won (born April 9, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Seondeok in the eponymous hit period drama. Career Lee Yo-won was a sophomore in high school when she won a modeling contest and first appe ...

(in the title role),

Lee Beom-soo Lee Beom-soo (born January 3, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is well known for his role in ''Singles'', ''Giant'', '' On Air'', '' Surgeon Bong Dal-hee, ''as well as in'' History of a Salaryman.'' Lee enrolled in the Department of Theater ...

, Kim Min-jun and

Oh Yoon-ah Oh Yoon-ah (born October 14, 1980) is a South Korean actress and a former racing model. Career Oh Yoon-ah began her career as a racing model ("race queen" or "pit babe"), and in 2000 she won the first Cyber Race Queen Contest. She became an en ...

. It aired on SBS from January 17 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes.

Plot

Bong Dal-hee (

) approaches her life and work with a simple-minded gungho sincerity. She's had frail health since she was a little girl, and after she undergoes heart surgery, Dal-hee decides to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. She graduates from a little-known medical school in her hometown, the remote island of

Ulleungdo Ulleungdo (also spelled Ulreungdo; Hangul: , ) is a South Korean island 120 km (75 mi) east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, formerly known as the Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky s ...

, and against all odds, gets accepted into the prestigious Hankook University Hospital

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

program in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Dal-hee is determined to become a

cardiothoracic surgeon Cardiothoracic surgery is the medical speciality, field of medicine involved in surgery, surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (pulmonology, lung disease) ...

, all the more so because of her own heart condition. Her old-fashioned name, provincial upbringing and lack of competitiveness mark her as different among the first year residents. She immediately gets on the bad side of Ahn Joong-geun (

), a brilliant but extremely strict cardiothoracic surgeon who often gets angry at the mistake-prone Dal-hee. Adding to the negative impression is Dal-hee's friendship with recently divorced

general surgeon General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid ...

Lee Geon-wook ( Kim Min-jun), who was Joong-geun's rival since their

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

years. Geon-wook is attracted to Dal-hee, but he still has lingering feelings for his ex-wife,

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

Jo Moon-kyung (

). Geon-wook and Moon-kyung split up after he learned that their six-year-old son was fathered by another man before they married, leaving him feeling betrayed and angry. Meanwhile, as they continue to work together, Joong-geun and Dal-hee grow closer. Called a "troublemaker" by her colleagues but loved by her patients for her compassionate personality, Dal-hee must learn to deal with professional setbacks, tensions on the job, hospital politics, patient deaths, romantic confusion and recurring ill health, on her way to becoming a full-fledged surgeon.

Cast

as Bong Dal-hee, 1st year cardiothoracic surgery resident *

as Ahn Joong-geun, cardiothoracic surgeon * Kim Min-jun as Lee Geon-wook, general surgeon *

as Jo Moon-kyung, pediatrician *

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit ''He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by ''Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing'' ( ...

as Park Jae-beom, 1st year general surgery resident *

Choi Yeo-jin Choi Yeo-jin (; born July 27, 1983) is a South Korean-Canadian model-turned-actress. Career Choi Yeo-jin was born in South Korea, but after her parents divorced, they emigrated to Canada when she was in the first year of middle school. She dream ...

as Jo A-ra, 1st year general surgery resident *

Song Jong-ho Song Jong-ho (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Song debuted as a runway model in Park Byung-chul's fashion show in 1995. His print and runway modeling career lasted until 1999, when he turned to acting. He is best known for his ...

as Lee Min-woo, cardiothoracic surgery resident *

Kim Hae-sook Kim Hae-sook (; born December 30, 1955) is a South Korean actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in ...

as Yang Eun-ja, Dal-hee's mother * Kim Jung-min as Bong Mi-hee, Dal-hee's younger sister *

Baek Seung-hyeon Baek Seung-hyeon (born Baek Seung-wook on March 1, 1975) is a South Korean actor. Baek has starred in supporting roles in television series such as ''Cain and Abel'' (2009), '' Brilliant Legacy'' (2009), and ''Prosecutor Princess ''Prosecuto ...

as Kim Hyun-bin, cardiothoracic surgery chief resident * Jung Wook as Jang Ji-hyuk, general surgery chief resident *

Park Geun-hyung Park Geun-hyung (born June 7, 1940) is a South Korean actor. His career in film, television and theater has spanned over five decades. Filmography Film *''7 People in the Cellar'' (1969) *''Lovers of Seoul'' (1973) *''Spies in the National A ...

as Lee Hyun-taek, chief of general surgery * Lee Ki-yeol as Seo Jung-hwan, chief of cardiothoracic surgery * Kim Seung-wook as Professor Park * Kim Myung-jin as Professor Jung * Sung Woo-jin as Instructor Oh * Jo Myung-woon as surgical intern * Lee Bom as Ah-jeong * Im Sung-min as Nurse Go * Jo Ah-ra as Nurse Lee * Jeon Hye-sang as ER head nurse *

Jo Yeon-hee Jo Seon-joo is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''One Thousand Won Lawyer'', '' Mr. Queen'', ''One the Woman'' and '' Black Dog: Being A Teacher''. She also appeared in movies ''The Houseguest and My Mother'', ...

as Seon-ju * Lee Hyun as Instructor Baek * Lee Jong-min as Instructor Seo * Jung Sung-woon as chief of

emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (often called “ER doctors” in the United States) continuously learn to care for unsche ...

Oh Man-seok Oh Man-seok (born January 30, 1975) is a South Korean actor. Best known for playing the titular transgender singer in rock musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', Oh's acting career spans theater, television and film. Career Theater beginnings ...

as Oh Jung-min, Moon-kyung's ex-boyfriend (

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

, ep 13-14)

Reception

''Surgeon Bong Dal-hee'' was a hit; it recorded average ratings of 22.4% and a peak of 29.3%, and was number one in its timeslot for most of its run (beating the competition ''

Dal-ja's Spring ''Dal-ja's Spring'' () is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Chae Rim, Lee Min-ki, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Hye-young and Gong Hyung-jin. It aired on KBS2 from January 3 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ...

'' on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

and ''

Goong S ''Prince Hours'' (; lit. "Palace S") is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy television series, starring Seven, Huh E-jae, Kang Doo and Park Shin-hye. It is a spin-off of the 2006 series ''Goong'' (also known as ''Princess Hours''), both wer ...

'' on MBC). The series also received several acting, directing and popularity awards.

Awards and nominations

International broadcast

* It aired in Vietnam on

HTV3 HTV3 is a channel of Ho Chi Minh City Television in Vietnam and used to be administered by Tri Viet Media Corporation (TVM Corp.). Originally, HTV3 aired shows for youth audiences. HTV3 always has the copyright from the creator and production of ...

from February 9, 2009.

References

External links

''Surgeon Bong Dal-hee'' official SBS website
* {{DSP Media 2007 South Korean television series debuts 2007 South Korean television series endings Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows Television series by DSP Media South Korean medical television series South Korean romance television series