Dr. Baek, the protagonist of the new medical drama The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call on Netflix, seems more like a superhero than a doctor. He rides a motorbike through battlefields, leaps from helicopters to save patients, and operates under extreme conditions. But is he purely a creation of fiction, or is there a real-life inspiration behind his character?
As the chief trauma surgeon at Hankuk University Hospital, Dr. Baek is no ordinary doctor. Intelligent and brooding, he constantly navigates the tension between medical duty and institutional constraints. His sharp instincts and unyielding commitment to patient care set him apart—not just from his colleagues but also from the archetypal doctors in medical dramas. Played by Ju Ji-hun, who seamlessly blurs the line between actor and character, Dr. Baek is a maverick who refuses to compromise his principles, making plenty of enemies along the way. Having served as a frontline doctor in war zones, he is a man of action rather than words—yet his brilliance as a surgeon is undeniable.
The Origin of the Action Superhero Doctor
Behind the inspiration for the fictional character Dr. Baek is a real trauma surgeon, Dr. Lee Guk-jong, who became a national hero when he saved the life of Captain Seok, the commander of a ship hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea in 2011. At the time, the concept of a trauma center specializing in severe injuries was nearly nonexistent in South Korea, let alone the role of a dedicated trauma surgeon.
Dr. Lee was dispatched to the scene with his protégé, Dr. Jung Kyoung-won, and arrived after the Korean Navy had seized the vessel, forcing the pirates to flee. Captain Seok had been shot and was in critical condition. With no existing infrastructure for such emergencies, Dr. Lee took matters into his own hands, personally securing a $40,000 ambulance flight to transfer his patient to Korea when no one else was willing to cover the cost. He then performed multiple surgeries to save Captain Seok’s life. In that moment, a doctor’s commitment to saving a life became an act of patriotism, restoring South Korea’s pride on the international stage. The doctor-hero was born.
Extraordinary Chain of Events
It was through an extraordinary chain of events that the concept of a trauma center entered the Korean consciousness—sparked by a pirate attack on a Korean ship, a naval operation to fight back, and the dramatic rescue of a life riddled with gunshot wounds. From the start, the idea of a trauma center became inseparable from heroism and national pride.
So when Dr. Lee remarked that countries far less affluent than Korea had fully operational trauma centers, his words struck at the core of Korean sensibilities, particularly the national urgency to avoid falling behind. Largely due to his advocacy, a trauma center was finally established at his hospital in 2016, following the creation of Korea’s first trauma center in 2014.
The media maintained keen interest in Dr. Lee’s trauma center, as well as his ongoing conflict with hospital management over the financial burden of running the facility, including the cost of an ambulance helicopter. His tenure as head of the center ended in 2020 amid growing tensions. A leaked recording of a heated argument between Dr. Lee and hospital executives revealed just how deep the rift had become over funding issues. In the end, even a national hero could not escape the realities of financial struggle.
Is Management the Villain?
If doctors are the heroes, does that make hospital management the villain? In The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, they certainly are—though often in a comically exaggerated way.
Dr. Hong Jae-hoon, the head of planning at Hankuk University Hospital, meticulously tracks each department’s financial records, highlighting the trauma center’s deep deficit month after month. His ultimate goal is clear: to shut down a unit that serves no financial purpose for the hospital. Some may argue that Dr. Hong is simply a reflection of real-world hospital management, making tough decisions in an era of financial constraints. From that perspective, his actions may not strictly qualify as villainy.
Yet even his defenders cannot overlook one troubling fact—his desire to push Dr. Baek out, not for his performance as a surgeon, but because he did not graduate from a prestigious medical school. Dr. Hong is not just an enforcer of financial realities; he is a bully who ostracizes outsiders. He may not be a villain in the traditional sense, but he undeniably embodies a broader issue in Korea where academic background dictates power structures, undermining fair competition and meritocracy.
Fantastic Realism
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call feels more like an action thriller than a medical drama, deeply embedded in genre conventions—complete with choreographed action sequences and characters clearly divided along the lines of good and evil. Yet, despite its heightened drama, the series presents an opportunity to reflect on real-world issues in the medical field, including the ongoing dispute over medical school admissions that has stretched on for more than a year.
Fantastical as it may be, the drama engages with pressing concerns such as patient rights, the financial stability of hospitals, and the ethical duty of doctors to save lives. Which takes precedence? That remains an open question, inviting debate.