Hello, everyone! Hope you’re all well. I’m here today to discuss The Defects, a drama that chillingly delves into the world of unlawful adoption rings and the subsequent struggle for survival.
Debuting on July 21, 2025, and airing every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. KST on ENA, this action-packed thriller, inspired by a webtoon, consists of approximately 16 episodes, each lasting about an hour. The narrative focuses on children abandoned by their adoptive parents and their quest for survival and retaliation.
The series confronts shocking themes with refined direction, exploring stories of parents who perceive their children as property or instruments. The atmosphere is dark and intense, merging action scenes with psychological thriller elements that reveal the unsettling truths of illegal adoption networks.
Head of a Major Hospital
Kim Se-Hee (Yum Jung-Ah) leads a prominent hospital and operates a charitable foundation. Although she’s a well-regarded physician, she secretly runs an illegal adoption organization led by Jung Hyeon (Kim Jin-Young). Kim Se-Hee believes only superior genetics deserve to survive. If a child adopted through their illicit operation fails to meet the adoptive parents’ expectations, her group offers a return policy for a limited time.
When children are sent back by adoptive parents, Kim Se-Hee’s group discards them, treating human lives as disposable items. These abandoned and illegally adopted children struggle to survive while seeking vengeance against the corrupt system that betrayed them.
Kim Se-Hee: The Noble Villain
Yum Jung-Ah portrays Kim Se-Hee, a character who embodies the terrifying duality of respectability and wickedness. Publicly, she is a reputable doctor managing a charity, but underneath, she orchestrates the systematic desertion of children. Her warped belief in genetic superiority makes her a particularly terrifying antagonist who thinks she’s offering a societal service.
Her performance is set to display the actress’s versatility as she shifts between public admiration and hidden monstrosity, prompting viewers to ponder how many real-world figures might conceal similar dark secrets behind charitable facades.
The Forsaken Children: Resilience and Retribution
Won Jin-Ah, Choi Young-Joon, and DEX embody characters representing victims of this illicit system. Children abandoned by their parents take vengeance, evolving from vulnerable victims to determined survivors unwilling to stay silent about their trauma.
Their journey from abandonment to empowerment forms the emotional core of the series, as they unite to uncover the truth and demand justice from those who regarded them as disposable assets.
The Climax: Network Unveiled
The series escalates towards a showdown where the illegal adoption network is exposed. The abandoned children, armed with insider knowledge and resolve, strive to dismantle Kim Se-Hee’s organization while fighting for their own survival. The action-thriller elements intensify as the stakes become grave for both the criminals and their victims.
This ultimate confrontation signifies not just personal revenge but a stand against a system that commodifies human lives and views children as returnable items.
Success on ENA
Based on a widely-read webtoon, the drama has sparked significant interest due to its shocking topics and sophisticated direction. The series addresses challenging themes that resonate with real-world concerns about adoption, child welfare, and the darker side of charitable organizations. ENA’s dedication to creating thought-provoking content is evident in this adaptation, with the hour-long format facilitating deep dives into complex moral issues. The Defects stands out for its courage to explore uncomfortable truths about society while delivering gripping action scenes.
If you’re a fan of dark thrillers, social commentary, and narratives about justice triumphing over corruption, The Defects is the ideal series to binge on ENA.
A compelling exploration of institutional corruption and human resilience that challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable realities about society’s treatment of vulnerable children.
Series Details:
Number of Episodes: 16 (estimated) Platform: ENA Rating: N/A (New Release) Genre: Action Thriller, Social Drama, Revenge Main Cast: Yum Jung-Ah (Kim Se-Hee), Won Jin-Ah, Choi Young-Joon, DEX Antagonist: Yum Jung-Ah (Kim Se-Hee)