Why Do Korean Doctors Serve Their Military Duty on Remote Islands? Explained Through Doctor on the Edge

In Doctor on the Edge (Korean title: Doctor Seomboy, 닥터 섬보이), the main character, Do Ji-ui, is assigned as a public health doctor to a fictional island called Pyeondongdo. The drama introduces it as a notorious island that everyone avoids.

If you’re not Korean, you might ask: “Why is a doctor working on an island? Did he choose this?” The answer lies in Korea’s military service system.

A fun note on the Korean title: “seom” (섬) means “island,” so “Seomboy” is a playful mix of “island” and “boy.”

Doctor on the Edge

First, a quick look at Korean military service

In Korea, men have a legal duty to serve in the military, and doctors are no exception. After graduating from medical school, a male doctor must choose how to complete his service. There are three main options.

Option	What they do	Length of service
Active-duty soldier	Enlist as a regular soldier	Army 18 months, Navy 20 months, Air Force 21 months
Military doctor	Work as an officer treating soldiers at military hospitals and units	About 38 months (including military training)
Public health doctor	Work in public health facilities in areas with too few doctors, as a form of alternative service	About 37 months (including military training)

Do Ji-ui is a public health doctor. After a short period of military training, he trades the uniform for a doctor’s coat and serves at a public health facility in an area the state assigns him.

Why send doctors to islands?

1. Because places that need doctors the most are places doctors least want to go.
Most Korean hospitals are in big cities. Rural villages, fishing towns, and islands have few patients, less stable income for doctors, and a less convenient lifestyle. Few doctors choose to work there on their own.

2. The state can control where public health doctors are placed.
One medical leader describes the system as practically the only alternative service system in a country with mandatory military service. The government can adjust both the number and the placement of these doctors, and local governments can use them as a low-cost public health workforce.

3. There’s a legal basis for it.
A law on health and medical services for agricultural and fishing villages supports this system. That’s why small public clinics in rural and island areas are among the places public health doctors are assigned to.

The drama’s director described the story as being about a young man who fulfills his duty of national defense as a public health doctor in a medically underserved area.

What’s island life like for the doctor?

An island clinic is often the closest medical facility residents have. The doctor handles everything from colds and chronic disease management to emergencies, and since big hospitals are far away, residents rely heavily on him. [Add how the drama shows this.]

Do Ji-ui has a past trauma that makes him afraid of the sea. For him, an island surrounded by water is a place to endure and escape from. But the drama warmly shows how healing and love can grow there.

Why this system is in the news in Korea

This system is a hot topic in Korea today. The service period for active-duty soldiers has been shortened recently, but the period for public health doctors and military doctors has barely changed. As a result, more medical students are choosing active-duty enlistment over those roles.

According to a doctors’ association, the number of new public health doctors dropped about 75%, from 1,137 in 2009 to 247 in 2025. People worry that this will make doctor shortages in underserved areas even worse, and ideas like shortening the service period are being discussed.

So the premise of Doctor on the Edge isn’t just a TV setup. It reflects a real part of Korea’s healthcare landscape.

Quick summary

Male Korean doctors also have a military service duty.
They choose among active-duty service, military doctor, or public health doctor.
Public health doctors serve in public facilities in rural, fishing, and island areas with too few doctors.
Islands are chosen because doctors are urgently needed there, but few doctors go by choice.

Next time you watch

When you see Do Ji-ui meeting patients on an unfamiliar island, remember: he wasn’t sent there as punishment. He is fulfilling his military duty as a doctor. And on that island, there are residents waiting for him.

Does your country have a system that places doctors in remote areas?