MBC courts Ha Ji-won for human medical drama Hospital Ship

69 April 3, 2017May 25, 2017

MBC courts Ha Ji-won for human medical drama Hospital Ship

by javabeans

I’ve been eagerly awaiting news about the next wave of dramas, and who better than Ha Ji-won (The Time I’ve Loved You) to usher it in? MBC has announced a new Wednesday-Thursday drama for its midsummer lineup titled Hospital Ship, which centers around a vessel that sails around the islands to service their rural villages.

Hospital Ship will be a human medical drama, and purports to tell the growth stories of young doctors in a way that resonates with today’s society. Ha Ji-won has been offered the role of surgeon Song Eun-jae, who decides to join the hospital ship for a fresh start to escape the public stigma that hits her when her family is ruined. The premise reminds me of Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim with its “big-city doctor finds him/herself while working in a backwoods hospital” setup, which I thought worked very well for that show and gave it a quirky tone. And considering what a smash hit that show was for SBS last year, it’s not a bad comparison to draw.

The drama will be directed by PD Park Jae-bum of last year’s daily drama Begin Again, legal drama A New Leaf, weekend serial Scandal, and melodrama I Miss You. That’s quite the range in genres, while Yoon Seon-joo has mostly worked in the sageuk realm, some of them quite good: Hwang Jin-yi (which starred Ha Ji-won), The Immortal Lee Soon-shin, Great King Sejong, and Secret Door. I’m interested to see a heartwarming human success story emerge from those disparate credits.

Hospital Ship is being considered for for a July premiere in the timeslot following Yoo Seung-ho’s upcoming sageuk Ruler–Master of the Mask.

Via IS Plus, TV Report

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Tags: Ha Ji-won, Hospital Ship

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1 salt N pepper

April 3, 2017 at 12:46 AM

Premise doesn't quite interest me but I want to see Ha Ji Won on my screen again.

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2 Key

April 3, 2017 at 12:50 AM

Yess Ha Ji-won!
Looks like the second half will be filled with big names.

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3 hana

April 3, 2017 at 1:07 AM

This sounds like the jdrama staring Shota matsuda. He played a doctor on a medical shop that goes around to the different island villages. It was a romantic comedy since he fell in love with a different woman in each village.

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hana

April 3, 2017 at 1:10 AM

I wish we could edit comments haha, i meant medical ship not shop. And i remember the drama is called Clinic on the sea.

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knom

April 3, 2017 at 1:20 AM

"since he fell in love with a different woman in each village".......so he's Brock from Pokemon then? Hahahaha. Sounds interesting.

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hana

April 3, 2017 at 1:29 AM

It was the running gag on the show, every day he would announce I'm leaving the ship and getting married, then he'd get turned down and have to come back to the ship to announce he was staying haha they constantly had to have welcome and farewell parties for him haha It's a really entertaining drama. The summary for this show just reminded me of Clinic on the sea, if you remove the romance line its the same concept. Medical ship that travels to all the rural villages on different islands.

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fab

April 3, 2017 at 3:48 AM

Let me guess, he ends up with someone ON the ship? I was planning on watching it but now I find it crazy that SHOTA MATSUDA would get rejected repeatedly. <3

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tummy

April 3, 2017 at 4:33 AM

Well he does get rebuffed repeatedly but possibly because, in the span of a day, he decides (all by himself) that he will marry them... :-)

If this drama isn't filled with high melodrama and doesn't take itself too seriously, it could be worth watching.

If the writer borrows liberally from Clinic on the Sea, then it could be episodic "morality plays".The visiting ship is the vehicle to introduce these young doctors into different situations.

I certainly hope they don't go down the path of "life or death" medical heroics too often for dramatic purposes.

windsun33

April 4, 2017 at 12:46 AM

I was thinking the same thing. This looks like a remake or at least a very similar plot.

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4 Sakura

April 3, 2017 at 1:18 AM

When i see Hajiwon for casting news. I'm just curious, who's the lucky guy for male lead! ????

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5 ZENITH

April 3, 2017 at 1:28 AM

Another medical drama : hospital politics,weird romance , bets with people's lives, low basic knowledge of medical procedures ...
if it has anything different from the above I'll watch it..

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voice

April 3, 2017 at 1:39 AM

i can stand anything mentioned above except the bets with peoples lives, that part always manages to piss me off

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michykdrama

April 3, 2017 at 1:59 AM

Hmmm? Actually I thought the recent spate of medical kdramas were very decent on accuracy (it's still a drama and not a documentary anyway) and tolerable in terms of hospital politics. So I'm looking forward to another with high-ish expectations.

In fact Romantic Doctor Teacher KIm had some operating scenes that made me wonder why they bothered with so much medical accuracy since most of it would be lost on the general public that watches. Even medical staff that aren't in the operating room normally wouldn't appreciate how accurate it was.

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Ally

April 3, 2017 at 3:56 PM

I'll be looking forward to this one along with you!

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fay17

April 3, 2017 at 2:37 AM

@zentith? IKR? Still waiting for more dramas like shopping king louie this year. Atleast we had do bong soon.

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wildfly

April 3, 2017 at 12:08 PM

Oh noes, medical dramas freak me out no matter how inaccurate and unrealistic they are. Even the ones that have medical equipment with error msgs on screen, f.e. 'RS-232 cable not connected'. Wont watch even for HJW.

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windsun33

April 4, 2017 at 12:47 AM

And no doubt the usual evil people running the show and tossing sick patients overboard or something.

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Elianne

April 4, 2017 at 1:34 AM

I'm forever spoilt from watching medical dramas because I have a doctor friend who always points out all the gajillion inaccuracies which makes it difficult for me to watch any medical scene now without skeptically over-analysing it.

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6 karecity

April 3, 2017 at 1:38 AM

Yay for Ha Ji Won! But sigh, medical drama. I have enough of medicine irl :/

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sunnyl

April 3, 2017 at 4:38 AM

+1 And was there any non-human medical drama? Funny they always say human medical drama.
Anyway I am happy if I can see HJW as badass character. The time we were whatever- where she acted cute- was the WORST show among all shows I saw her in.

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john

April 3, 2017 at 5:08 AM

fan ~

Non human medical drama ? All Creatures Great and Small !
? It's a wonderful series of books and tv series.

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kitkat

April 3, 2017 at 11:28 AM

exactly! the moment I saw fan's question, I thought of herriot's creatures. :) loved them!

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karecity

April 3, 2017 at 5:45 AM

Haha kdramas are supposed to be a break from reality for me. I can't believe I have to see more medicine when trying to take a break from it. So I usually avoid medical dramas like the plaque...but HJW is my fave....
Yes yes badass HJW is the best. Preferably in sageuks too. TTWWIL was mostly only worth watching for her wardrobe.
As for human medical dramas, well kdramas have the funniest and most useless descriptions haha. Rmb everyone must be a genius in their field :p

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7 Grapes

April 3, 2017 at 1:47 AM

I want to see Ha Ji Won in a drama soon but this doesn't sound interesting, and MBC is in a slump lately doesn't that affect their chance of casting a good actors!

Maybe the reason they have bad ratings because they don't cast A listers or famous actors as the leads in thier dramas. They only did it with W but SKL had a good ratings too despite not having A listers maybe SIG effect made it happen!

I hope Ruler would do well.

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c

April 3, 2017 at 2:13 AM

people should just stop credit drama success because of one actor. SKL is the highest rating drama SIG ever had (apart from Masters Sun), most of his dramas were very low rating.

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Live

April 3, 2017 at 2:47 AM

Not really. Rebel has non-A list actors. But the ratings is higher than SKL. Seo In Guk's dramas (when he was the main lead) in the big three always low actually.

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Ryan

April 3, 2017 at 3:07 AM

SIG effect? ???

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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

April 3, 2017 at 4:17 AM

Despite of low ratings, MBC's drama are always quite enjoyable to watch. Rebel is doing great despite of it is not a fluffy romance sageuk and non popular actors because it it good written sageuk so far

Ha Ji Won alone won't be enough to make the audiences stay until the end without the good script and good other casts. After what happened with Saimdang and also Ha Ji Won's last drama, I refused to believe that top actors can maintain the ratings. They can create more buzz , but whether ppl will stay until the end depends on the drama itself.

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sorrynotsorry

April 3, 2017 at 7:27 PM

I agree this is true about 95% of the time. I do think though the leads in Strong Woman are the main reason for the ratings on that show so I guess imo there are occasional exceptions.

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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

April 4, 2017 at 12:42 AM

SWDBS - the main pairings and yes, it is a type of drama viewers will always watch.

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windsun33

April 4, 2017 at 12:53 AM

Or maybe it is just crappy plots.

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8 Kumon

April 3, 2017 at 1:54 AM

There are too many medical korean dramas and I think I might have to pass on this one unless the male lead is Jo In Sung or Kang Dong Won. Maybe the reason HJW is even considering this is loyalty to the scriptwriter of Hwang Jin Yi.

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chingu

April 3, 2017 at 7:06 AM

Ooh, well, she did say she wanted to act with Jo In-sung again because they were so young in What Happened in Bali. She also said she loves melodramas, haha, so I wonder if this is gonna end up being a medical melo... then again, what medical drama isn't a medical melo...

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9 Eternal

April 3, 2017 at 2:04 AM

To the writers who wants to start medical drama, they really need to learn about this field carefully. Romantic Doctor is okay but still there were too much exaggerate and errors here and there. Han Seok Kyu really safe this drama with his great acting. How I wish medical drama is more accurate, talks more about humanity and science for more specific.

Ha Ji Won seems shows her best performance in heavy dramas. I don't want to see her act cute anymore.

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Kumon

April 3, 2017 at 2:09 AM

I agree on your last insight! Let HJW bring out the drama chops she got ala What Happened in Bali and tearjerker movie Closer to Heaven. Am a big fan of HJW and I think she did enough action / romcom for the past 5 years.

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Grapes

April 3, 2017 at 2:14 AM

Lol @acting cute, I liked her in her last drama despite the drama itself wasn't good but she was cute I kept watching because of her, but i agree with you, i wish to see her in a role like LBY in Whisper.

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10 c

April 3, 2017 at 2:09 AM

with all the wedding bell lately maybe HJW can be in a MBC weekend drama :D

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11 evelynray

April 3, 2017 at 2:27 AM

All I can imagine whenever I read 'Hospital Ship' is sinking ship during the storm with medical people onboard still trying to do a surgery. Whoops

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Ryan

April 3, 2017 at 3:04 AM

LOL that's a thought exactly ? what a dramatic scene ?

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Ryan

April 3, 2017 at 3:05 AM

*my thought*

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Flightey Gazelles

April 3, 2017 at 11:51 PM

Haha, me too!

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12 lillyan

April 3, 2017 at 2:47 AM

Can they already stop with all that medical and law related dramas? How much more we need? It's like a rule. If you're not a doctor, then you're for sure a lawyer (next procurator, then cop).

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kanz

April 3, 2017 at 3:59 AM

or a sageuk prince.

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13 pompom10

April 3, 2017 at 3:04 AM

She's so pretty and looks really young for her age...

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14 fab

April 3, 2017 at 3:52 AM

This sounds promising. And it's time for her name to be next to a different drama...

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15 kanz

April 3, 2017 at 4:06 AM

Can we play six degrees of Ji Chang Wook's ex-co-stars by now? Park Min Young, Yoo Seung Ho, Yoona and Ha Ji Won all starring in upcoming dramas.

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16 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

April 3, 2017 at 4:27 AM

If she accepts I am wishing her the best.. I liked her in Empress Ki and few other drama, so depends on who will be her co stars, maybe I will watch. ? Medical drama if it is something like Beautiful Mind or Romantic Doctor, I think I will be OK.

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17 dramakid

April 3, 2017 at 5:01 AM

Another medical drama? I swear,they just keeps coming. today,it will be about Lawyers. tomorrow will be about Doctors. then d other day will be about Prosecutors.

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samantha1

April 3, 2017 at 10:44 AM

~Sigh..Rinse and repeat..Gone were the days of the Mall CEO era but those three jobs need to take a break.

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18 chingu

April 3, 2017 at 5:24 AM

Yay, medical drama! Double yay, Ha Ji-won! Haha, am I the only one that actually likes medical/hospital dramas? I think it's because I find the medical world fascinating and I eat up all the intense medical scenes. I may also do this thing where I get really inspired and motivated to become a surgeon every time I watch a nail-biting, surgery go down. Haha. I can imagine Ha Ji-won being a badass surgeon, already! Can we also have Kim Go-eun? I miss her so much and medical dramas/being a doctor is one of the many characters/genres that I'd love to see her take on. I actually even imagined her with Ha Ji-won, too! Man, they'd make a great team.

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19 WishfulToki

April 3, 2017 at 6:22 AM

Summer seems a good time for medical dramas (thinking of Doctors). Honestly, I am quite sick of medical dramas, which makes me spurt out lots of puns:

In any case, there will obviously be shipping of romantic leads. I'm on board with cramped living quarters if that's what's gonna happen, and near shipwreck experiences for thrills. Also, it's harder to find serial killers at sea.

So I will probably give this a try. At least I can expect gorgeous scenery (which could end up being a huge tourist boost for the islands), if they have the budget for it. But yes writer and directors, please do your research on medical procedures! It is the biggest thing that puts me off medical dramas.

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20 oneearedgirl

April 3, 2017 at 6:28 AM

I horribly miss HJW but I'm not sure about seeing her in a medical drama. I've seen enough of these to last me a lifetime. Premise doesn't sound interesting on paper, if she accepts I wish her and the crew the best.

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kanz

April 3, 2017 at 6:53 AM

I miss her too!!!
But I'm actually quite hopeful with this one. Besides, Ha Ji Won has never done any medical drama, never been a doctor before, so I think it will be new, interesting experience for her.

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chingu

April 3, 2017 at 7:12 AM

Me three about missing her and I also agree that this could be an interesting experience for her. I can already see her in the doctor's white gown.

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oneearedgirl

April 3, 2017 at 7:56 AM

Hmm, I really do have mixed feelings about this, but it's really time for her to comeback. And also Yoon Eun-hye. The girl hasn't done a drama in 4 years, so I'm waiting to see her too.

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chingu

April 3, 2017 at 11:35 AM

I hear Yoon Eun-hye's making her drama/movie/Korean comeback sometime this year, actually.

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21 mango

April 3, 2017 at 6:47 AM

If she accepts, I hope she would be badass because her last roles are more on the cute side lately. It would be her first time playing a doctor I think.

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chingu

April 3, 2017 at 7:11 AM

Badass doctor is the only doctor I like! Except for Good Doctor Joo Won--he wasn't really badass, but he was definitely good! Haha. But yeah, I expecting nothing less than a smart, cool, and badass doctor role for Ha Ji-won.

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oneearedgirl

April 3, 2017 at 7:50 AM

MTE, YAY to badass, 'I-give-no-shit-about-anything' doctors, NAY to cutesy, crybaby damsel in distress. I totally wouldn't mind if her character turns out to be a North Korean spy who's on a mission to kill all of the patients while she's posing as a doctor, when she unexpectedly stumbles upon a patient suffering from leukemia who happens to look exactly like Lee jae-Ha. Cue 'missing you like crazy' by Kim Taeyeon. Speaking of which, a week late but - HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE KING 2 HEARTS

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22 jadea

April 3, 2017 at 8:07 AM

The traveling on a ship thing sounds interesting, but other than that...a medical drama? Boring. I'd love to see dramaland work in some more professions besides doctor, lawyer , chaebol, and cop.

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23 Michiki

April 3, 2017 at 9:58 AM

I'm quite sad that there is no chance for Ji Chang Wook to be the male lead of this drama with HJW. Anyway Jo In Sung would be an excellent choice too if possible. It's interesting to see HJW in a role of a surgeon. I'm excited for this drama.