Golden Time is a 2012 South Korean medical drama starring Lee Sun-kyun, Hwang Jung-eum, Lee Sung-min and Song Seon-mi. It aired on MBC from July 9 to September 25, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 23 episodes. In emergency medicine, "golden time" or "golden hour" refers to the crucial time period right after a patient suffers a traumatic injury, during which timely medical treatment could determine life or death.
Plot
After spending two years teaching in the country, Lee Min-woo returns to a city hospital to complete his residency and face his own uncertainties about being a doctor. Free-spirited and goofy, he is jaded about his job and just wants it easy. He is then jolted out of apathy when a traumatic incident forces him to rethink why he wanted to be a doctor in the first place. First-year resident Kang Jae-in comes from a rich family that owns hospitals, but she just simply wants to be a doctor who can support herself and help others. Both Min-woo and Jae-in work in ER under the guidance of Choi In-hyuk, a famously astute workaholic surgeon who puts his patients before himself.
Cast
Main characters
Lee Sun-kyun as Lee Min-woo
Hwang Jung-eum as Kang Jae-in
Lee Sung-min as Choi In-hyuk
Song Seon-mi as veteran nurse Shin Eun-ah
Supporting characters
;Jae-in's family
Jang Yong as Kang Dae-je, Jae-in's grandfather
Sunwoo Yong-nyeo as Park Geum-nyeo, Jae-in's grandmother
Park Young-ji as Oh Gwang-cheol, hospital director
Park Jung-min as Jang Young-woo
Ban Hye-ra as Kang Soo-kyung
Ga Deuk-hee as Seo Hyo-eun
Na Seung-ho as Kang Dae-je's secretary
Seo Ji-yeon as nurse
Gong Soo-hyuk as association member
Choi Jae-sub as Park Won-gook
Hong Hyun-taek as Lee Se-min
Lee Dong-gyu as Shin Eun-ah's fiancé
Im Ji-young as woman in childbed
Yoon Min-soo as mass production member
Song Young-kyu as Lee Won-pyo
Jung Ae-yeon as Bang Hee-sun
Lee Seok-gu as Choi Jun-bae
Background
The series was praised for its verisimilitude and social commentary on the country's lack of trauma centers. The character of trauma specialist Choi In-hyuk was based on real-life doctor Lee Guk-jong, who became famous in 2011 when he saved the life of Captain Seok Hae-kyun after Seok received multiple gunshot wounds during a rescue mission from Somali pirates.
Ratings
With a rise of 5.1 percent in the third week of July 2012, Golden Time landed its first win on the Monday and Tuesday primetime ratings chart after drawing in 12.6 percent of the total viewers, according to data compiled by the TNmS. The series, which had been struggling at the bottom for its first two weeks with single-digit ratings, made this leap as the former chart-topper The Chaser and runner-up Big wrapped up their runs. With average ratings of 13.3-15.5 percent, it thereafter topped its timeslot for ten consecutive weeks, despite the rival channels' London Olympics 2012 coverage and the premieres of Faith and Haeundae Lovers. Originally slated at 20 episodes, it was given a 3-episode extension, and discussions are underway for a possible second season.
