The ENA drama “Johnber Doctor” has come under criticism for allegedly enforcing excessively long working hours during filming, raising concerns over potential violations of South Korea’s 52-hour workweek regulation. In response, the production company, The Studio M, issued a formal apology acknowledging its responsibility.
On January 9, The Studio M released an official statement to Dispatch, stating that it takes the issue of filming hours very seriously and will address the matter responsibly. The company explained that while it had informed staff of the tight production schedule and gathered their feedback, it ultimately failed to fully assess the actual workload intensity and the cumulative fatigue experienced by crew members.
The company pledged that all future filming schedules would strictly comply with the 52-hour workweek limit. Regarding periods that exceeded the legal threshold, it stated that it would actively consult with staff to seek an amicable resolution.
The controversy was first brought to public attention by the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center, which reported that the “Johnber Doctor” production enforced approximately 65-hour workweeks for three consecutive weeks in December. According to the center, filming began in September, and during the second and sixth weeks of production, the crew conducted five filming sessions per week, with filming hours alone exceeding 55 hours. From December 8 onward, similar schedules continued for three weeks, reaching around 63 hours per week.
It was further reported that filming between January 5 and 11 was scheduled to continue at 65 hours per week. The Hanbit Center noted that out of the drama’s total 15-week filming period, five weeks violated the 52-hour limit—a frequency considered unusually high in recent drama production environments. When long-distance travel time exceeding three hours round trip is included, the number of violating weeks rises to seven.
The center emphasized that even if written consent was obtained from staff, such agreements do not negate violations of the Labor Standards Act. It is currently considering filing a formal complaint with labor authorities, citing the seriousness of the issue and the growing pattern of labor law violations in drama production sites.
“Johnber Doctor” is a medical romantic comedy set on the remote and notoriously avoided Pyeondong Island. The series stars Lee Jae Wook as public health doctor Do Ji Ui and Shin Ye Eun as the mysterious nurse Yuk Ha Ri.
