Episodes 11 and 12 of The Haunted Palace aired on May 23 and 24, 2025, on SBS TV. The story revolves around a Yoon-gap, a palace official who is possessed by an Imugi (Gang-cheol). The Imugi is connected with a shaman named Yeo-ri, who has rejected her heritage and now works as a spectacle maker.
Circumstances lead her to the royal palace, where she, Gang-cheol and the reformist King Lee-sung, try to uncover the the truth behind the hauntings and ghosts in the royal palace.
In the last episode of The Haunted Palace, Gang-cheol finally kills the war minister with the help of BiBi. While trying to save Yeo-ri, he encounters eight-foot ghosts who disclose the truth that he is the one who stopped Gang-cheol (Yook Sung-jae) from ascending to heaven 100 years ago.
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In episodes 11 and 12 of The Haunted Palace, it is revealed that Lord Won-woo is trying to hide a book containing secrets of the royal family.
The Haunted Palace episode 11 and 12 recap: Who became the latest victims of the eight-foot ghost?
Episode 11 of The Haunted Palace begins with the eight-foot ghost revealing to a stunned Gang-cheol that he's the child who saw him ascending to heaven. He, however, cryptically adds why he is fighting him, not the royal family. He disappears, and Gang-cheol rushes to save Yeo-ri, tied in a cupboard.
They both rush out, and the next day, they present all the evidence to the King. The King realizes that Pung San, the blind shaman, is Agu-ji and hurries to see his concealed shrine. Upon arrival, he is filled with rage as he recalls everything his family has endured because of the spirit and calls upon him.
He challenges the eight-foot spirit and claims that he would never succumb to it. Gang-cheol, on the other hand, is still pondering this ghost's cryptic message. BiBi takes him away, and both of them conspire to kill a noble who will eventually become BiBi's latest feast.
However, they are halted by Yeo-ri, who asserts that even if the nobles are corrupt and evil, it does not warrant him killing them and appeasing BiBi. As Gang-cheol contemplates his actions, BiBi grows annoyed with Yeo-ri's interference. BiBi also overhears Gang-cheol speaking to the Monk about his sacrifice of the divine pearl being the only way to defeat the eight-foot ghost.
The following day, the King confronts the Queen Dowager and inquires about Pung San and who recommended him to her. He then makes her realize the blind shaman's betrayal and how she became a tool in the death of her own son.
King, along with Yeo-ri and Gang-cheol, looks through the royal family chart and gets to know that the eight-foot ghost holds a grudge against the King's great-great-grandfather, King Yeojong the Great. He ruled about 100 years ago, which coincides with what the ghost told Gang-cheol.
They conclude that all their answers lie in Yongdam Village, where a descendant of the man who faithfully served King Yeojong lived, who is no other than Lord Won-woo. As they prepare to head to Yongdam village, Yeo-ri hands over her warding stone to the young prince for protection.
In episode 11 of The Haunted Palace, Yeo-ri overhears BiBi and Gang-cheol arguing. BiBi accuses him of being foolish enough to sacrifice his sacred pearl to fight the eight-foot ghost for Yeo-ri. It's because losing a pearl means death for an Imugi. Yeo-ri is filled with guilt and vows not to let Gang-cheol lose his life because of her.
Pung-san hides in a secret place provided by Minister Kim with his henchman, thanks to the eight-foot ghost's intervention. Later in The Haunted Palace episode 11, BiBi discovers a corrupt noble gagged in a secluded location by Pung-san, who offers him a deal. He suggests that if he brings Yeo-ri, he will assist Gang-cheol and him in ascending to heaven.
BiBi lures Yeo-ri, and Gang-cheol follows the blind shaman's henchman to Pung-san's new hiding place. There, he finds BiBi aiding Pung-san and is consumed by rage. They both fight when Yeo-ri suddenly realizes that she is not important to Pung-san but rather to both Imugis.
Pung-san, or rather, the eight-foot ghost, wants to kill one of the Imugi to get their sacred pearl for himself. He picks up and hurls a sword towards Gang-cheol when BiBi comes in between, and it hits him. At the end of episode 11, the duo picks BiBi, who has passed away and escapes as the eight-foot ghost consumes BiBi's sacred pearl.
Episode 12 of The Haunted Palace begins with Gang-cheol submerged in the river to cope with his grief, but he is unable to do so. He cries in front of Yeo-ri and laments the loss of BiBi. But the next day, Minister Kim Bong-in arrests them for trespassing in the Bureau of Blind, but the King saves them, stating that they were simply doing his work.
Upon confronting, Yeo-ri shares that Poong-san kidnapped her and the person behind all of this is none other than his maternal grandfather, Minister Kim Bong-in. The King is devastated and refuses to believe her.
The Queen Dowager finally confirms what Yeo-ri had already told the King that it was Minister Kim Bong-in who was behind Pung-san. The King is left heartbroken and decides to confront him. He emotionally questions Kim Bong-in about his intentions. Minister Kim mocks the King, stating he would never be able to prove his wrongdoings.
Later in episode 12 of The Haunted Palace, the king calls upon all the ministers who were hiding and who heard Minister Kim Bong-in's confession. The king immediately arrests him and sentences him to exile. But as he is taken to his place of exile, Minister Bong-in's henchmen attack and flee along with him.
Minister Kim Bong-in goes straight to Pung-san and demands that the eight-foot ghost should kill him. In turn, the eight-foot ghost confesses that Minister Kim is no longer useful to him and kills him with a sword.
The Haunted Palace episode 12 then depicts the King arriving at Yongdam village with Yeo-ri and Gang-cheol to visit Lord Won-woo's house. While the King is at Lord Won-woo's residence, the head eunuch searches for books related to the war.
A bookseller says that there are no records remaining from that time, but also notes that this is the second time a king has visited the village in a century. He then shares that King Yeonjong the Great fled and ended up in the village.
Further in episode 12 of The Haunted Palace, the king requests for one of the books written by Lord Won-woo's great great grandfather regarding his account of the northern barbarians' attack 100 years ago. Lord Won-woo looks visibly perturbed but says that his ancestor has left any account about the war.
Yeo-ri encounters Lord Won-woo's daughter once more, possessed by a one-footed ghost. She attempts to attack Lord Won-woo when Yeo-ri explains that a vengeful spirit has taken hold of her again, and the reason for this occurrence. It is then unveiled that Lord Won-woo conducted a ritual to appease an ancestor's spirit as advised by a shaman, and his daughter is possessed now.
But amid all of this, the ghost inside the possessed girl shouts that Lord Won-woo killed him. Lord Won-woo then confesses to accidentally killing a book broker named Jang Eon-soo, who stole books he considered family treasures.
When the head eunuch informs the king about King Yeonjong the Great fleeing to the village 100 years ago. Gang-cheol mentions that something occurred between King Yeonjong and the eight-foot ghost here, and the complete story resides solely with that book broker ghost, Jang Eon-soo. He does not believe in Lord Won-woo's narrative and believes he is hiding something.
To assist Lord Won-woo's daughter, Yeo-ri attempts to exorcise the ghost of a book broker. However, during a minor struggle between the ghost and Gang-cheol, the ghost says that he will depart once he has taken his revenge. His revenge involves revealing to the world the book he is concealing, which contains shocking secrets about the royal family.
Yeo-ri and Gang-cheol inform Lord Won-woo that they have captured the ghost, and he has just revealed that the book is hidden where he was killed. Lord Won-woo pleads ignorance in front of the King, but later goes and searches the basement where the book broker was actually killed when he was blackmailing him.
Gang-cheol saves the book from being burned by Lord Won-woo and hands it over to the king. At the end of episode 12 of The Haunted Palace, the eight-foot ghost spits something out vengefully, and he is none other than the spirit of Royal Scribe Yoon-gap.
The Haunted Palace airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:55 pm on SBS.
