SBS drama Doctor X: The Age of the White Mafia is facing a fresh legal headache. A formal complaint has been filed with a local district office, questioning whether a temporary bus stop sign installed for filming near the May 18 National Cemetery broke South Korean road laws. The move comes just days after a separate petition demanded the show be taken off the air over its depiction of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement.
The complaint was submitted on October 27, 2026, through the national e-People petition portal. It asks the Buk-gu District Office in Gwangju to check if the production team obtained proper permission before placing a fake “National May 18 Cemetery Stop” sign in front of the cemetery’s main gate, known as the Gate of Democracy. The sign appeared in Episode 6, which aired on October 24.
What Exactly Happened With the Bus Stop
The scene in question shows a character boarding Bus No. 518 and stopping at a bus stop placed directly in front of the cemetery entrance. In reality, the actual Bus No. 518 stop is located about 350 meters away from that spot. The sign seen on screen was a movable filming prop mounted on a square pipe base, set up only for the shoot.
The complainant is not challenging the drama’s storyline about the Gwangju uprising. The focus is strictly on the administrative process: did the production team get a road occupation permit or location use approval before installing the sign? Did the temporary structure block pedestrians or vehicles? District officials confirmed that no road occupation permit application or prior consultation was filed by the production team for that location.
Under South Korea’s Road Act, placing an object on a road without permission can lead to a fine of up to 3 million won (roughly $2,100). However, filing a complaint does not automatically prove illegality. Authorities must first determine whether the exact spot qualifies as a “road” under the law and whether the sign required a permit at all.
The Bigger Storm Around Episode 6
The bus stop complaint is the second controversy to hit Doctor X in a week. The first erupted right after Episode 6 aired on October 24. The episode introduced Oh Sang-beom (played by Ha Seong-gwang), a man who was shot in the head as a 12-year-old during the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement and has lived with bullet fragments, headaches, and hallucinations for 46 years. Kim Ji-won’s character, genius surgeon Gye Su-jeong, travels to Gwangju to treat him.
A fictional former president named Ji Du-seok, widely seen as a stand-in for former President Chun Doo-hwan, also appeared in the episode, unconscious and placed in the same hospital as Oh Sang-beom. That narrative choice triggered a National Assembly petition calling for the broadcast to be suspended, with critics arguing that the historical material was forced into a medical drama and was not part of the original Japanese series.
“The inclusion of unrelated 5·18 content in the drama has caused discomfort among many viewers,” the petition stated, according to Chosun coverage.
Viewers Are Split, Ratings Stay Strong
Reactions to Episode 6 have been sharply divided. Some viewers praised the show for highlighting the long-term trauma carried by survivors of state violence.
“It vividly showed the suffering endured by victims of May 18 and their families,” one viewer comment cited by Financial News read.
Others pushed back hard.
“It abruptly inserted political elements that were not in the Japanese original,” another comment said, questioning whether a real historical tragedy was being used as a dramatic device.
Despite the backlash, Doctor X is still pulling strong numbers. Episode 6 recorded a national household rating of 19.5%, according to Nielsen Korea, and hit a peak instantaneous rating of 21.3% during its broadcast. The show premiered on October 9, 2026, on SBS and is streaming on Netflix for global audiences.
Related Stories
View all articles about
A Pattern of Complaints
This is not the first time Doctor X has faced an official objection. On October 15, a viewer identifying as an orthopedic surgeon filed a separate review request, claiming the drama distorted medical reality. Now, with a road law complaint layered on top of a broadcast suspension petition, the show is dealing with two separate battles: one over its story and another over how it was filmed.
Kim Ji-won’s social media has also become a target for criticism, with malicious comments and calls to boycott her endorsements appearing online. Lee Ok-gyu, the chief producer at Studio S, posted the drama’s poster on social media shortly after Episode 6 aired with the caption “NO FEAR”, a move some interpreted as a direct response to the mounting pressure.
The Buk-gu District Office has confirmed it will review the complaint and examine the installation process. No conclusion has been reached on whether any road law was actually broken.
Stay with VvipTimes for clear, fact-checked coverage of the K-drama stories that matter, without the noise.
Leave a Reply