The Haunted Palace Episode 15 Review: A Kingdom on the Brink of Death

In Episode 14, Yoon Gap awakens in his own body, bringing bittersweet joy to his grieving mother and guilt-laced closure to Yeo-ri. While the palace celebrates his return, Poong San manipulates him into nearly destroying the King’s spiritual protection, only for Gangcheol to reawaken and reclaim control.

In a heart-wrenching farewell, Yoon Gap chooses to let go of life, asking Yeo-ri to perform a ritual to release his soul, bringing his tragic arc to a noble end. But just as the palace begins to recover, a new horror unfolds—Sa-soon, possessed by the eight-foot spirit, attacks and gravely wounds the Queen, setting the stage for a devastating final battle.

The Haunted Palace Episode 15 has a runtime of around 60 minutes.

This new Korean drama has 16 episodes and will be released every Friday and Saturday.

The Haunted Palace Episode 15 Recap

The penultimate episode opens amid chaos. The Queen has just been fatally wounded by the possessed Sa-soon, and Gangcheol wrestles the frenzied guard to the ground. But before he can subdue the spirit, it flees—the damage already done. With the ritual disrupted and the Queen grievously wounded, Gangcheol and Yeo-ri scramble to understand what went wrong.

They soon discover that the warding stone meant to protect the Queen had been rendered powerless—its magic neutralised by cursed ritual wine. The Head Eunuch, deeply troubled, begins to suspect Minister Lee. His suspicions are confirmed when he finds out that Lee had been blackmailed by Poong San, who held his family hostage to force his betrayal.

At the Queen’s chambers, tragedy unfolds. The King, the Crown Prince, and the Queen Dowager are devastated as the Queen, her strength fading, whispers her final words and passes away. News of her death spreads rapidly. Yeo-ri, Gangcheol, and the palace monk rush to the palace, their hearts breaking for the woman who had always shown them kindness and grace.

That same night, Poong San, Ahn Suk-joo, and the other conspirators are swiftly arrested. The palace is abuzz with news of their capture. At the prison yard, the King, seething with fury, takes a sword and slices off Poong San’s topknot in front of the gathered crowd, a symbolic act of condemnation. But justice demands more. Despite his anguish, the King knows the law requires the traitors’ execution. As he walks away, burdened with grief, he collapses on the street, overwhelmed by the loss of his beloved Queen. Yeo-ri and Gangcheol witness his breakdown, moved by his raw humanity.

Gangcheol, unable to contain his rage, confronts Poong San. Grabbing him by the collar, he warns him never to underestimate a divine spirit. But Poong San, ever smug, responds with a chilling smile—he’s already endured divine punishment, and he warns that more death is coming.

Inside the palace, the King’s condition begins to deteriorate. He starts hallucinating, arguing with the eight-feet spirit that now lurks in his mind. The spirit drags him into a vision of the past, revealing the atrocities committed by the royal bloodline a century ago. Innocents were massacred, children torn from their families—all in the name of the throne. The King, horrified, begs for it to stop. But the spirit is unrelenting. He vows to eradicate the entire bloodline, starting with the King himself.

Elsewhere, Yeo-ri and Gangcheol prepare to attend the public execution. As they arrive, Prince Gwang rushes in and warmly hugs Gangcheol—still inhabiting Yoon Gap’s body. The gesture reminds Yeo-ri of the caragana root flowers she found the night before, the same ones that grant strength to Gangcheol. Realizing the extent of his selflessness, Yeo-ri silently vows to protect him just as fiercely.

But the execution never happens. Just as the condemned are brought forward, a royal guard announces a new command from the King—Poong San and the others are to be released, and Yeo-ri and Yoon Gap are to be arrested. Stunned, Gangcheol and Yeo-ri immediately grasp the truth: the King has been fully possessed. They flee, barely escaping, thanks to the help of the loyal guard Jae-il. He confirms their worst fears—the King is no longer himself—and urges them to protect Prince Gwang. Gangcheol instructs him to secretly bring the Prince to Won-woo’s house, where they can regroup.

At Won-woo’s house, disbelief hangs in the air. Won-woo is sceptical of their claims, but Yeo-ri manages to convince him of the gravity of the situation. That night, In-seol asks Gangcheol about the flowers she had been tending. He thanks her and explains he had asked her to care for them to ensure he remained strong enough to protect Yeo-ri. Understanding his feelings, In-seol quietly accepts that his heart lies elsewhere.

Back at the palace, the Queen Dowager confronts the King upon hearing that he’s released the traitors. She’s horrified to find Poong San beside him, and as she approaches, a foul stench confirms her suspicion—the King is no longer himself. He coldly threatens her life if she dares oppose him. His descent continues as he banishes the Head Eunuch and the loyal guard Geun-hoo from his service.

Meanwhile, Jae-il follows through with the plan. With the help of the Queen Dowager and Court Lady Oh, he safely retrieves the Prince, bringing him to Won-woo’s home. It is only then that Won-woo finally grasps the seriousness of the threat looming over the kingdom.

But the spirit inside the King has anticipated this move. Learning of the Prince’s location, he marches there with his men. As the King’s party approaches, Gangcheol readies himself for battle. He instructs Jae-il to protect Yeo-ri and the Prince at all costs—he will confront the spirit head-on. Won-woo bravely steps out to delay the King, but the spirit quickly overpowers him, recognising his bloodline’s connection to Yeonjeong the Great. The confrontation turns violent, and the King nearly strangles Won-woo to death.

In the final scene, Gangcheol and the possessed King stand face to face, swords drawn, each ready to sacrifice everything. The fate of the kingdom—and the bloodline—now hangs in the balance.

The Haunted Palace Episode 15 Review

The Queen’s tragic death sets a mournful tone, but it’s the King’s chilling descent into full possession that sends a shiver down the spine. The episode does a commendable job portraying the emotional unravelling of multiple characters, especially the King, whose vulnerability and anguish make his spiritual corruption all the more harrowing. The way the past collides with the present, via the spirit’s centuries-old vendetta, brings a historical depth that makes the haunting feel almost justifiable, even as it turns monstrous.

What really stands out is the emotional maturity of the writing. Love, loyalty, sacrifice, and vengeance all collide in raw, unfiltered moments: In-seol quietly letting go of Gangcheol, the Prince’s embrace of Yoon Gap, and the King’s breakdown in the streets are moments layered with pathos. The political manipulation is no longer just court intrigue; it’s soul-deep warfare, with ancestral sins weighing heavily on the present. As Gangcheol and the possessed King face off with swords, the episode ends on a not only climactic but hauntingly poetic note. Episode 15 doesn’t just build toward a finale; it demands it.

The Haunted Palace is streaming on Viki.

Also read: All The Haunted Palace Reviews