# Doctor on the Edge
**Doctor on the Edge** (닥터 섬보이, *Dakteo Seomboi*) is a 2026 South Korean medical romantic comedy television series about a public health doctor assigned to a remote island everyone avoids and a nurse with secrets of her own, whose lives intertwine over a year of island medicine.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) It aired on ENA as a Monday-Tuesday drama from June 1 to July 7, 2026, in 12 episodes, and streams on Disney+ and Genie TV.[2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge) The series stars [Lee Jae-wook](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jae-wook) and [Shin Ye-eun](https://www.edgepedia.org/shin-ye-eun) and is adapted from the webtoon *Holdout Doctor* (존버닥터) by Kim Tae Poong.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Doctor_on_the_Edge)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | 닥터 섬보이 (*Dakteo Seomboi*)[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge) |
| Source material | 2022 webcomic *Holdout Doctor* (존버닥터) by Kim Tae Poong[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Doctor_on_the_Edge) |
| Broadcast | ENA, Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 p.m., June 1 to July 7, 2026; 12 episodes[5](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect) • [1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) |
| Main cast | Lee Jae-wook as Do Ji-ui, Shin Ye-eun as Yook Ha-ri, Hong Min-gi as Hyeon Chi-yeon[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi) |
| Production | Directed by Lee Myung-woo, written by Kim Ji-soo; produced by KT Studio Genie and The Studio M[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Doctor_on_the_Edge) |
| Premiere rating | 4.0% nationwide, 3.6% in the Seoul metropolitan area, 4.5% peak (Nielsen Korea, episode 1)[5](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect) |
| Streaming | Disney+ (and Genie TV in Korea); also on Hulu in the United States[2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge) |
## Premise
Do Ji-ui is a brilliant young plastic surgeon aiming for a top career at one of South Korea's most prestigious universities, but he is emotionally closed off and burdened by a trauma connected to the sea. As part of his military service, privileged medical students can serve as public health doctors instead of active duty, and Ji-ui is unexpectedly assigned to Pyeondongdo, an isolated island that no one wants, for a year.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge) He sees the sea-surrounded island as a giant cage and his goal is simply to endure quietly and escape.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) • [2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge)
There he meets Yook Ha-ri, a nurse at the island's public health branch who has come from the city for her own reasons and hides her secrets behind a cheerful smile. Between overfamiliar residents, swarms of insects, and life-or-death emergencies, the two discover each other's past wounds and gradually open up.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) • [2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge) The series places a small public health center and the island community at the center instead of a major hospital, narrowing the scale of the medical genre while concentrating on the characters.[5](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect)
## Cast and characters
- **Lee Jae-wook** as Do Ji-ui, a public health doctor with a chronic fear of the sea caused by an unexplained trauma; cold on the surface but serious in front of patients.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi) • [2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge) Disney+ described the role as Lee's final TV series appearance before his military enlistment.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge)
- **Shin Ye-eun** as Yook Ha-ri, a nurse who fled the city to Pyeongdongdo and carries a deep sorrow beneath her bright energy.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) • [2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge)
- **Hong Min-gi** as Hyeon Chi-yeon, part of the island's medical team.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi)
- **Lee Soo-kyung** as Uhm Jeong-seon, alongside supporting island residents played by Kil Hae-yeon, Woo Hyeon, and Kim Yoon-u.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge)
## Production and broadcast
The series is directed by Lee Myung-woo, known for *The Fiery Priest*, and written by Kim Ji-soo of *[Missing Crown Prince](https://www.edgepedia.org/missing-crown-prince)*.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) It was produced by KT Studio Genie and The Studio M.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Doctor_on_the_Edge) Episodes ran about an hour each and aired in two-episode weekly blocks at 23:30 from June 1 through July 7, 2026.[1](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi)
## Ratings and reception
Nielsen Korea's figures for paid households showed the opening episode drawing 4.0% across the nation, 3.6% within the Seoul metropolitan area, and topping out at a 4.5% rating for a single minute, making it, by reported numbers, the strongest premiere yet for an ENA Monday-Tuesday drama.[5](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect) The second episode approached 5%.[2](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge) The series followed *Strawman*, which had climbed from 2.9% to an 8.1% finale in the same slot, so the drama's task was framed as protecting a high starting point rather than building interest from low numbers.[5](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect)
On [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) the series held a 6.9 rating from about 910 users and carried a TV-14 age rating.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge) Apple TV lists it as rated 13+ with content advisories for language and violence.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi)
## Music
The second OST release for the series is "What If?" by singer Kim Jae Hwan. Director Lee Myung-woo participated in writing the lyrics himself, shaping them around the emotional lines of the characters.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6T2BKPctfM)
## References
1. [Synopsis and Cast of Doctor on the Edge, Explore Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/explore/articles/doctor-on-the-edge)
2. [닥터 섬보이 줄거리·후기·등장인물, Catsky blog](https://catsky.tistory.com/entry/Doctor-on-the-Edge)
3. [Doctor on the Edge - streaming tv show online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/doctor-on-the-edge)
4. [Doctor on the Edge, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Doctor_on_the_Edge)
5. [Doctor on the Edge: Week Two Will Decide the Pyeondongdo Effect, IssueTalk](https://issuetalk.co.kr/en/k-drama/doctor-on-the-edge-week-two-will-decide-the-pyeondongdo-effect)
6. [Doctor on the Edge, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/doctor-on-the-edge/umc.cmc.60dnmgj13fs027r293bcsf0qi)
7. [KIM JAE HWAN - What If? :: Doctor on the Edge OST Part.2, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6T2BKPctfM)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Medical, legal, and workplace series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license