At the Frontlines of Young Lives: Netflix Confirms Production of the Gritty Medical Series ’First Doctor’

Netflix has officially greenlit its upcoming medical series First Doctor, featuring a powerhouse cast that includes Jung Ryeo-Won, Ha Yoon-Kyoung, Bek Hyun-Jin, Kim Jong-Soo, and Kim Moo-Yul. The series marks the highly anticipated reunion of director Hong Jong-Chan ( Teach You a Lesson ) and Baeksang Award-winning writer Kim Min-Suk, the creative duo behind the critically acclaimed hit Juvenile Justice.

First Doctor is a medical drama centered on a pediatric surgery unit on the verge of closure, and the people who battle through yet another crisis to protect the most fragile lives.

Leading the ensemble is Jung Ryeo-Won as Heo Ji-wan, a brilliant but blunt pediatric surgeon labeled “the hospital’s ultimate troublemaker” due to her uncompromising personality. After an unexpected incident, Ji-wan is forced to return to YEONHWA University Hospital (YHUH), vowing to protect the failing department and its young patients. There, she constantly clashes with Ha Yoon-Kyoung ( Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Hospital Playlist Season 2, Undercover High School ) as Ki Eun-gyeol, a confident, sharp-witted third-year resident whose raw talent and rebellious streak set the stage for a high-friction mentor-mentee relationship.

Meanwhile, industry veterans Bek Hyun-Jin ( Taxi Driver, The Devil Judge ), as Head of Surgery Son Sang-baek, and Kim Jong-Soo, as Vice Director Lee Chang-gon, bring institutional weight and political tension to the narrative. The series will explore the dynamic that unfolds between these two influential hospital figures and the often-isolated Heo Ji-wan. Adding further depth to the wards is Kim Moo-Yul ( Teach You a Lesson, Juvenile Justice, Sweet Home Seasons 2 & 3 ) as Bae Su-wol, a charming anesthesiology professor and longtime confidant to Ji-wan, marking his third collaboration with Director Hong Jong-Chan. Beyond medical tropes, the series will focus on an intense systemic crisis and profound human connection, delivering a deeply moving look at the people who refuse to give up on saving lives. Backed by Kim Min-Suk’s sharp writing and Hong Jong-Chan’s grounded direction, First Doctor is poised to become Netflix’s next standout series.