Episodes 5 and 6 of The Defects aired on ENA on August 4 and 5, 2025. The final two episodes will arrive on August 11 and 12, 2025, at 11 pm KST (10 am ET/3 pm GMT) on ENA and TVing. Viewers outside of South Korea can stream on Kocowa and Prime Video. The Defects’ story tracks Kim Se-hee (Yeom Jung-ah), chief director of a hospital and figurehead of a charity group.
Behind the scenes, she runs an illicit adoption network with Jung-hyeon (Dex). Her strict rule is that only what she calls “superior” genes should survive. Families who adopt through the ring get a brief return window if the child fails to meet their standards. However, these returned children are killed to erase proof.
One such kid is Kim Ah-hyeon (Won Jin-ah), who survives and soon becomes the target and the challenger, pushing back to reveal the crimes.
The Defects episodes 7 & 8: Everything you need to know about the finale
The finale of The Defects is set to focus on the children seeking revenge against Se-hee and dismantling her system. Viewers can expect a direct confrontation aimed at ending her deadly agenda. The preview shows the kids mourning Seok-su’s death.
In another scene, Se-hee slaps Jung-hyeon, demanding to know if he lost the children or deliberately let them escape. Elsewhere, young Ah-hyeon urges Jung-hyeon to stop claiming their mother is not truly their mother. The teaser also shows Jung-hyeon burning a photograph with Se-hee, hinting at a redemption arc in the final week and a turn toward healing.
The Defects episode 5 & 6 recap
Episode 5 of The Defects opens with Ah-hyeon held captive by her mother. Meanwhile, the group arrives after abducting young Ah-hyeon, proposing an exchange to secure Ah-hyeon’s release. It is revealed that the young Ah-hyeon is actually allied with the kids, having been told they would back her whenever needed.
As Ah-hyeon’s condition worsens due to the wound, the kids break into the pastor’s church and steal cash from the donation box, later setting it on fire. The stolen funds are handed over to Dr. Park to treat Ion.
Meanwhile, young Ah-hyeon meets the First Lady, who bluntly asks if she’s prepared to become pregnant. The young child agrees, saying she wants to be a devoted daughter to her mother.
At the same time, the controversial Bioethics Act revision (referred to as the Eye-Shopping Bill) passes the Judiciary Committee. Elsewhere, the chairman visits a hidden facility filled with defective embryos. There, Se-hee refers to them as delinquents, claiming only a few are viable. The rest, considered unusable, are disposed of by a machine that kills them through slicing.
Dr. Park successfully treats Ah-hyeon. Meanwhile, the pastor and his wife visit a shaman, believing their child Ji-seok’s (Joo-an) soul is still alive. However, they are unaware that the shaman is actually So-mi in disguise. She tells them the boy’s soul is present and hands the pastor a talisman, instructing him to place it beneath the church’s cross to see results.
The next day, during a memorial for Eun-gyeol, Joo-an’s best friend, the pastor leads a prayer service. Mid-ceremony, Shaman So-mi arrives, claiming to locate Joo-an, who soon appears in ghostly form. Rather than admitting his past actions, the pastor loudly praises it as God’s miracle. Internally, however, he is distressed about Joo-an’s arrival.
After capturing the pastor and his wife, the kids flee with the money. That same day, Jung-hyeon arrives, realizing the pastor is now of no use to him. In The Defects episode 5, he kills both the pastor and his wife.
Episode 6 of The Defects opens with a flashback showing how the chairman once treated Seok-su like a dog. Reports soon surface accusing the kids of being behind recent murders, framing the case as a serial killing spree. While the media fuels suspicion, a detective works to help the group.
Gaining Ah-hyeon’s trust, he receives documents listing living defects, along with a recording of a congressman abandoning his son.
Meanwhile, clients visit Se-hee, claiming they heard the suspects were defective products that had not been properly disposed of. Se-hee offers a guarantee, promising that if any of their children were to reappear, she would pay 100 billion won each.
When the detective confronts the congressman about the recording, the politician insists it was generated by AI. Soon after, the file is leaked to the media, prompting a press conference where the congressman appears emotional, accusing his opponents of disturbing his deceased son’s peace. Privately, the congressman orders the killing of Seok-su and the other kids.
Elsewhere, a young Ah-hyeon realizes her mother is manipulating events. Later, Ah-hyeon helps her out of a car, knocks out the driver, and takes the vehicle by choice.
Jung-hyeon learns of the detective’s plan with the kids. He rigs the detective’s car with explosives and sets it ablaze. The hitmen sent by the congressman arrive at the kids’ hideout, attempting to capture and kill them.
Before they can act, Seok-su holds a knife to the congressman’s neck, demanding that the children be released. Moments later, Jung-hyeon intervenes, killing both Seok-su and the congressman. In The Defects episode 6, Ah-hyeon arrives soon after, finding the children devastated by Seok-su’s death.
Before the finale, catch up on all previous episodes of The Defects on Prime Video.
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Edited by Sriparna Barui
