Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won's The Doctors regains popularity after 9 years of release, tops charts after Netflix release

One of Netflix's latest K-drama additions is the 2016 medical drama The Doctors, starring Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won in the lead. This drama, which had originally aired on SBS almost a decade ago, was one of the most popular dramas of its time.

The Doctors was added to Netflix's library on February 28, 2025. According to Wikitree, the drama ranked number 9 of the Top 10 trending dramas in South Korea on Netflix, just four days after its release on the OTT platform.

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Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won starrer drama The Doctors is currently airing on Netflix

The Doctors first aired on SBS from June 2016 to August 2016. The drama follows the lives of the doctors at the Gukil Hospital. Hye-jeong is a delinquent student and she eventually meets her homeroom teacher, Hong Ji-hong. Jin Seo-woo, Hye-jeong's classmate grows jealous of their relationship.

13 years later, as fate would have it, the trio reunited at Gukil Hospital as neurologists. Hye-jeong finds a friend in fellow neurosurgeon, Jung Yun-do. However, her troubles don't end as Seo-woo wishes to bring Hye-jeong down. The drama presented the challenges that doctors face in the operation theatre and how they navigate their personal life as well.

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What were the viewership ratings for The Doctors during its original telecast run?

Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won's The Doctor regains popularity after 9 years of release, tops charts after Netflix release (Image via SBS Contents Hub)

According to Nielsen Korea's report, at the time of the drama's original telecast schedule, it recorded double-digit viewership ratings of 12.9% from its first episode. Since then, it saw an upward curve with 14.2% in episode 2, 14.4% in episode 3, 15.6% in episode 4, 18.5% in episode 5, and 19.7% in episode 6.

The highest viewership rating nationwide for this drama was 20.2%, and the highest viewership rating in the metropolitan area was 23.1%. The highest viewership rating per minute, particularly, soared to a whopping 27.8%. The scene in the finale episode, where Kim Rae-won's character confesses his love for Park Shin-hye's character, saw 27.38% in viewership ratings. The drama also achieved the number one spot amongst the dramas airing during its Monday-Tuesday run.

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In other news, Park Shin-hye has since acted in dramas like Judge from Hell and Doctor Slump, which was also telecast on Netflix. Her pairing opposite Park Hyung-sik was loved by the fans. She will be next seen in the drama Chair Time in the role of a dentist.

Kim Rae-won was last seen in the 2023 drama The First Responders season 2, and he will be next seen in My Happy Home. Lee Sung-kyung has made a cameo appearance in Doctor Slump and will next be seen in JTBC's The Good Man alongside Lee Dong-wook.