S1·E505 Eliminating Trespassers: Secret of the Old Village

Episode recap

Running Man Season 1, Episode 505, titled “Eliminating Trespassers: Secret of the Old Village,” continues the program’s format of placing its regular cast members in competitive, mission‑driven scenarios. The episode opens with the notable return of So Min, who re‑joins the team after an extended period away from the show. Her reappearance is highlighted as a point of interest for both the participants and the audience, marking a shift in the group dynamics for the challenges that follow.

The core mission takes the members to a rural settlement identified as Gujeon Village. According to the episode synopsis, the locale is distinguished by an abundance of buried gems, implying that the terrain is littered with valuable stones awaiting discovery. The cast’s objective is to locate and extract these gems, a task that aligns with the series’ emphasis on physical effort, strategy, and teamwork. The presence of the gems establishes a clear incentive, as the stones are described as “valuable,” suggesting that successful retrieval would be rewarded within the game’s framework.

While the primary focus rests on the excavation effort, the synopsis also introduces an element of mystery: the villagers of Gujeon appear to be concealing a secret. This narrative thread adds a layer of intrigue to the episode, prompting the cast to navigate not only the physical demands of digging but also the social dynamics of interacting with locals who may be withholding information. The tension between the outward goal of gem collection and the underlying undisclosed aspect of the village creates a dual‑challenge structure for the participants.

The episode’s conclusion is framed as a question about the cast’s ability to exit the village safely, indicating that the mission’s outcome is uncertain and that potential obstacles—whether environmental, interpersonal, or related to the villagers’ secret—could impede their progress. As a Korean variety program that debuted in 2010, Running Man consistently blends competitive games with situational comedy, and this installment maintains that tradition by pairing a treasure‑hunt premise with an enigmatic local storyline. The episode thus delivers both the expected physical competition and an added narrative mystery, inviting viewers to follow the cast’s attempts to overcome the hidden challenges of Gujeon Village.