Key facts
- A petition on the National Assembly's website demands a halt to the airing of "Doctor X: Mafia in White."
- The petition criticizes the drama's portrayal of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.
- The controversy centers on the drama's sixth episode, which aired Saturday.
- The 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising was a pro-democracy movement against military rule.
A petition filed on South Korea's National Assembly website is demanding a halt to the airing of the medical drama "Doctor X: Mafia in White." The petition, which has garnered the 100 supporters needed for public release, criticizes the show's portrayal of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.
The controversy stems from the drama's sixth episode, which aired Saturday. In it, the protagonist attempts to remove a bullet from a patient's brain, a wound sustained during the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Gwangju in May 1980. The petitioner argues that integrating politically sensitive historical events into a fictional medical drama is inappropriate.
The Gwangju Democratic Uprising, a pro-democracy movement opposing military rule, occurred from May 18 to 27, 1980. The drama's chief producer, Lee Ok-gyu, posted the series' poster on social media with the words "no fear" in response to the criticism.