Surgeon Bong Dal-hee () is a 2007 South Korean medical drama television series starring Lee Yo-won (in the title role), Lee Beom-soo, Kim Min-jun and Oh Yoon-ah. 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 (Lee Yo-won) 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, and against all odds, gets accepted into the prestigious Hankook University Hospital residency program in Seoul. Dal-hee is determined to become a cardiothoracic surgeon, 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 (Lee Beom-soo), 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 Lee Geon-wook (Kim Min-jun), who was Joong-geun's rival since their intern years. Geon-wook is attracted to Dal-hee, but he still has lingering feelings for his ex-wife, pediatrician Jo Moon-kyung (Oh Yoon-ah). 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 Lee Yo-won as Bong Dal-hee, 1st year cardiothoracic surgery resident Lee Beom-soo as Ahn Joong-geun, cardiothoracic surgeon Kim Min-jun as Lee Geon-wook, general surgeon Oh Yoon-ah as Jo Moon-kyung, pediatrician Kim In-kwon as Park Jae-beom, 1st year general surgery resident Choi Yeo-jin as Jo A-ra, 1st year general surgery resident Song Jong-ho as Lee Min-woo, cardiothoracic surgery resident Kim Hae-sook as Yang Eun-ja, Dal-hee's mother Kim Jung-min as Bong Mi-hee, Dal-hee's younger sister Baek Seung-hyeon as Kim Hyun-bin, cardiothoracic surgery chief resident Jung Wook as Jang Ji-hyuk, general surgery chief resident Park Geun-hyung 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 as Seon-ju Lee Hyun as Instructor Baek Lee Jong-min as Instructor Seo Jung Sung-woon as chief of emergency medicine Oh Man-seok as Oh Jung-min, Moon-kyung's ex-boyfriend (guest appearance, 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 on KBS2 and Prince Hours on MBC). The series also received several acting, directing and popularity awards.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result200743rd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) Lee Beom-soo Best New Director (TV) Kim Hyung-shik Most Popular Actor (TV) Lee Beom-soo SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Lee Beom-soo Top Excellence Award, Actress Lee Yo-won Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Kim In-kwon Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries Choi Yeo-jin Best Young Actor Joo Min-soo PD Award Lee Beom-soo Netizen Popularity Award Lee Yo-won Best Couple Award Lee Yo-won and Lee Beom-soo Top 10 Stars Lee Beom-soo Lee Yo-won New Star Award Song Jong-ho Choi Yeo-jin
International broadcast It aired in Vietnam on HTV3 from February 9, 2009.
References
External links Surgeon Bong Dal-hee official SBS website