Lee Jong Suk May Take Up The Scalpel

Lee Jong Suk may have to brush up on his bedside manner soon as he is seriously considering taking part in his first medical drama.

He is reading the script for the upcoming SBS drama "Foreign Doctor."

It's the story of a North Korean defector Dr. Park Hoon, who is employed by a top South Korean hospital. The cardiovascular and thoracic doctor must not only adjust to working in a new environment but also to his new life in South Korea. Because of the unusual and dramatic life he has lived, Dr. Park also has difficulty relating to others. Born in South Korea, he was kidnapped as a boy, along with his father, who was also a surgeon. When he grows up he becomes a doctor and defects.
Park Hoon is considered to be a medical genius but he can't be listed at the South Korean hospital as an official doctor because he is considered a foreigner. Even though he became a foreigner through no fault of his own, it becomes a disability. And his adjustment is made no easier by the fact that he's broken-hearted. He left the love of his life back in North Korea.

Thanks to his appearance in the hit drama "I Hear Your Voice" and his first film role, "No Breathing," Lee Jong Suk is a star but star billing does not necessarily guarantee the success of the drama. This year's medical dramas have received mixed notices. "Good Doctor," which starred Joo Won as a genius doctor with a disability, did well in the ratings, while "Medical Top Team, which had a star cast but a more traditional storyline, did not. Will a doctor who is a genius, but unrecognized because he is technically foreign, interest viewers as much Joo Won's genius but disabled surgeon did?

According to Lee Jong Suk's agency Wellmade, "Foreign Doctor" is only one of several drama and film roles that the actor is currently considering.

"There is a chance that he may participate in another drama," said his agency. "He has only received the script for 'Foreign Doctor' so far and is still reviewing it. No decision has been made yet."

Jin Hyuk, the director of "City Hunter," "Brilliant Legacy," "On Air" and "The Master's Sun" is going to direct "Foreign Doctor." Park Jin Woo, who wrote "Seoul Farewell," will write the screenplay.

The show would air on Mondays and Tuesdays in March.