A medical documentary set in a Korean university hospital, where the life, death, joy, and pain of human beings unfolded, attracted heated attention when it was released on Tving, an over-the-top (OTT) platform for Korean content, in late May. 

Viewers of "Human Chronicle" likened the show to a captivating live-action rendition of the immensely popular medical drama "Hospital Playlist."

“Human Chronicle” is the brainchild of producer Lee Wook-jung, known for pioneering a food documentary genre, seamlessly blending the realms of culinary exploration and captivating storytelling.

Set within the illustrious confines of Severance Hospital, one of Korea's top five tertiary medical institutions, the documentary captivates audiences by placing the individuals within its walls as the central characters of the narrative.

In particular, “Human Chronicle” delves into the inner workings of not just the medical staff but the often overlooked support departments like the nutrition team, and facility management team. It even ventures into the usually off-limits anatomy training room.

Korea Biomedical Review sat down with producer Lee to hear the story behind the “Human Chronicle.” 

As a pioneer of culinary documentaries, Lee won the Grand Prize at the 36th Korea Broadcasting Awards for his series “Noodle Road” and the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards for “Food Odyssey” as the Best Educational Show.

After working over 20 years at KBS and leaving the broadcaster, Lee became CEO of Mind at Play. He is making the “Chronicle” series, an anthropological observation of various organizations in human society.

“Human Chronicle” is the second series after “Food Chronicle.” 

Question: Why did you choose a hospital for your Chronicle series?

Answer: I've done a lot of food-themed programs, but I've also done quite a few medical programs. I produced “In-Depth 60 Minutes” (on KBS) to cover medical issues. I covered various issues in the medical field such as the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing and the diabetes epidemic. I was interested in healthcare covering stories of cancer patients and patients suffering from rare diseases such as megaloblastoma. The Chronicle series is a long-term project that takes a close look at the pivotal institutions that move modern society today. The first place I thought of was a tertiary hospital.

Q: Then, why did you choose Severance Hospital in particular?

A: It's one of the oldest and most prestigious medical institutions in Korea. In particular, it was founded on the principles of the Christian spirit. When I saw doctors who entered medical school in their early 20s and spent the rest of their lives in Sinchon until they reached the retirement age of 65, I was reminded of blockade monasteries. I thought it would be rare to find a hospital in such a unique culture and environment. Personally, I was born at Severance Hospital and graduated from Yonsei University.

Q: I heard that you covered stories for the documentary for almost a year. It must have been difficult to do it in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A: I planned to make “Human Chronicle” two years ago. At that time, the number of Covid-19 patients was rising rapidly. We delayed the start of filming and didn't start until the first half of 2022. The team spent more than a year working night shifts at the hospital. In reality, there were many unexpected obstacles such as Covid-19, and the hospital itself was a sensitive place for patient privacy. We applied to the Korea Creative Content Agency to get support for the production cost and we won the bidding.

In hindsight, the making of the documentary was like “Mission Impossible.” We had 10 producers on the set, plus veteran cinematographers. We had to use camera equipment that is usually meant for big projects. It was a very labor-intensive project. Just as doctors were on call, the crew had to be on call. We had to disinfect every time we entered the operating room because of Covid-19, and we had to wrap all the equipment in plastic except for the lenses.

Q: There are many medical dramas set in tertiary hospitals but “Human Chronicle” seems to be the first of its kind as a medical documentary. What did you focus on when making it?

A: When we were planning, we had two goals. First, we wanted to make an objective, neutral observation of the “microcosm” of a tertiary hospital, which usually has a lot of emotional elements. I thought that physicians, nurses, and patients who pass through the hospital are in supporting characters, and the real protagonist is Severance Hospital. In the middle of “Human Chronicle,” the drone shots that show the various landscapes of the hospital without saying anything represent these ideas.

I also thought that we should shed light on the most common diseases that Koreans suffer from and are interested in, and incorporate professional-level medical information into it. It was not easy to do these two things in one documentary.

Q: Transplantation, cardiology, hepatopancreatic surgery, neurosurgery, and gynecology are some of the areas that have recently been highlighted as essential medical specialties. Were there any considerations when selecting the medical specialties?

A: It was the most important issue in the planning and preparation stage. First of all, we focused on surgeons. We thought it would show the most dynamic medical scenes. Above all, covering the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing a long time ago opened my eyes to the problem of “medical distortion” (the imbalance of physicians in essential care). Korea is known as “a medically advanced country” overseas. Doctors in essential medical departments, directly related to our lives, need a lot of training to learn highly complex skills. But even 20 years ago, during the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing, it was pointed out that medical care could be “distorted” within our health insurance system, and I think it's even worse now. So I wanted to show how doctors are really struggling, and I hope that the viewers of “Human Chronicle” will be aware of this aspect of healthcare reform. I hope that they will realize that if we go down this path, we could end up in a situation where we can't continue to train people in very important fields.

Q: We heard that there's something that other documentaries have that “Human Chronicles” doesn't have.

A: It's the narration. It was difficult (to make the documentary) without the narration because we had to connect many voices from the field to create a story. But that's why we were able to capture the raw voices of the people rather than the judgment or intention of the producers. It was also good for Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) because the “video archiving” of Severance Hospital was also created.

Q: “Human Chronicle” has six episodes. Was there anything you regretted not being able to capture during the year-long coverage, and what criteria did you use to select medical professionals who appeared in “Human Chronicle”?

A: We filmed for over a year. It's inevitable that a person's real personality will show. Moreover, it's a stressful situation. It's inevitable that other doctors and patients will be exposed and seen. That was the question I wanted to ask during this series. What is a hospital? What kind of work does a doctor do? Didn’t we forget to ask the most fundamental questions? In that sense, the people in the documentary show us what a real doctor is. This is also why I thought there was a connection between Severance Hospital and cloistered monasteries. I think they are people who are disconnected from the world but are trying to realize the greatest values in their daily lives without losing sight of them. It's interesting to me that they do this in a world where working less and being comfortable are the most important values in life.

University hospital doctors are scientists, technicians, craftsmen, and emotional labor workers. They connect with people and give them hope and rescue them when they are at their lowest and most vulnerable. Doctors are viewed differently these days. Korean society is stingy in giving professionals the credit they deserve. However, a system cannot be maintained by the unlimited dedication of one person. I hope “Human Chronicle” will give people a chance to think about that.