‘Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist’ Netflix Series Review - An Entertainer K-Drama Filled With Suspense

Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist is a South Korean drama that originally premiered in 2022 and now has been given a Netflix release in 2023. The drama stars Kim Min-Jae and Kim Hyang-Gi in the lead roles. The drama contains 12 episodes each episode having a run time of 59 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist tells us a story about a young internal medicine doctor, Yoo Se Poong, who works for the royals. His academic and professional growth was not liked by some at the royal court and they pull him into a conspiracy that ultimately leads him to leave the royals. He was drenched in trauma since the past incidents at the royal court and fails to treat people the way he used to. He comes to a new village called Gyesu with his trusted helper to stay away from his past life. This is when the entire story of the drama picks up and gives some good story, suspense and comedy. The drama is based on a novel that goes by the same name – Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist.

The first episode of the drama sets the tone for the story as well as the characters. The first episode also shows us two sides of the main protagonist as well as the female protagonist. The first part of the episode shows us the cheerful and determined Yoo Se Poong, whereas the second half of the episode leads us to a disheartened Poong who does not have confidence in his skills or any will to live. The female lead Seo Eun Woo initially is introduced to us as someone who believes in the will to live and life in general, but everything takes a turn toward the end of the episode as she tries to take her life twice. There is so much happening in the very first episode of the drama, which hints at how the rest of the episodes are going to be. The first episode leaves us with so many questions and doubts, and most of the episodes of this drama have a similar tone. The drama does claim to have suspense as its genre, and it does contain some sort of suspenseful events throughout.

The drama has a good pace, and it never tends to slow down. Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist is a historical drama and it contains vibrant scenes and characters. The casting of the drama can be considered perfect since most of the actors could portray the characters with the right emotions and bring out a connection. Especially Kim Min-Jae, who played the main lead did a splendid performance in showing Yoo Se Poong’s painful past and also his soft side despite enduring such hard times.

The only disappointing part the viewers might face is that the chemistry we would expect between the two main leads was not shown as we anticipated. Nevertheless, we can always expect more from the couple in the second season of the show which will be released shortly in the first half of this month. This drama is a good watch for all K drama lovers since it has a great capacity to entertain people with stories and especially natural comedy. From showing us how Poong becomes a physician of the mind instead of the body, the drama takes us on a 12-episode journey filled with suspense, comedy, and thrilling scenes.

Final Score – [8.5/10]
Reviewed by - Poornima Balsu
Follow @BalsuPoornima on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times