SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- A "K-romance fantasy" that has drawn attention worldwide is being brought to life as a live-action series, turning a familiar tale of palace intrigue set in a fictional medieval Western imperial court into a lavish visual spectacle.
Actors Shin Min-a and Ju Ji-hoon said at a press conference for Disney+ series "The Remarried Empress" held in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu on Tuesday, "It will be a new form of drama that harmonizes familiarity and novelty," adding, "We hope you fully enjoy your fantasies."
Shin Min-a, who leads "The Remarried Empress" as the perfect empress who never loses her dignity, said she had both concerns and expectations about how the story would translate into live action.
"Although the script was in a new form, the story itself was familiar to us," she said.
Based on the web novel and webtoon of the same name, the romance fantasy follows Navier (Shin), empress of the Eastern Empire, after Emperor Sovieshu (Ju) tells her he wants a divorce. She agrees on the condition that she be allowed to remarry Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk) of the Western Kingdom.
Expectations for the live-action adaptation have been high, with the original webtoon recording 2.97 billion cumulative views as of July.
A key factor in the success of "The Remarried Empress" will be how convincingly the world depicted in the web novel and webtoon is recreated in live action. This was also why, after the series was announced, people widely joked that "if it's done well, it'll be 'Bridgerton,' but if it's done badly, it'll become 'Surprise,' a reenactment-style TV show."
Director Cho Soo-won said he sought to translate the original work onto the screen as faithfully as possible.
"The biggest task for me was determining the tone of the drama," he said. "The seriousness of the original novel was different from the brighter and more playful webtoon. I tried to find a middle ground and establish the tone from there."
He added, "We made every effort to stay as faithful to the original as possible. I hope the many fans who have followed the original will enjoy the series as well. I'm curious to see how viewers around the world will respond to a series airing simultaneously in different countries."
To bring the imagined world to life, the production conducted large-scale filming overseas, including at castles in Germany and gardens in the Czech Republic. It also invested heavily in visual elements, including set construction and visual effects (VFX).
Ju said, "The reason we spent a lot on production design and locations was to find angles that would make the world convincing the moment you see it, rather than having to explain it in words. We tried to find points of connection between the fictional world and things we have actually seen."
The main storyline centers on Emperor Sovieshu falling in love with Rashta (Lee Se-young), a runaway slave, and telling his empress he wants a divorce, after which the empress begins a new romance with Prince Heinrey of a neighboring kingdom.
As the story unfolds, Sovieshu and Rashta become characters who provoke anger among viewers.
Ju said, "I've been in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, so I'm mentally prepared after reading hundreds of thousands of comments. As long as people enjoy the work, I'm fine with any reaction."
Lee Se-young said she worked especially hard on her appearance to create the plausibility that the emperor could fall in love with Rashta at a glance, while also giving the character an appeal that viewers could not simply hate.
"I took better care of my appearance than I have for any other project," she said with a laugh. "I wanted to reveal the 'pure evil' of a character who fiercely pursues her desires. I acted hoping viewers would think, 'I want to kill her, but I also feel sorry for her, and I can understand her.'"
Lee Jong-suk, meanwhile, portrays a fairy-tale prince with beautiful looks and a voice that women would all envy.
He said the character's setting that people "collapse when they make eye contact with him" was burdensome.
"I felt a lot of pressure because I had to pay so much attention to my appearance," he said. "I tried to bring out the character's composure and sly charm that form his foundation."
"The Remarried Empress" is considered one of Disney+'s most highly anticipated Korean series of 2026.
Ju said, "I think the fantasy of 'The Remarried Empress' fits well with the Disney+ platform. When we watched Disney works as children, didn't they invite us into a world of dreams, hope and fantasy, regardless of whether everything made sense?"
"Like those works, I believe 'The Remarried Empress' will be a series that fills our fantasies," he added.
The series was originally scheduled to be released Wednesday but was moved up by one day and became available Tuesday afternoon, following a positive response to episodes 1-3, which were previewed in the On Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival last month.
Shin said, "We easily immersed ourselves in the world while acting. I hope you will enter the world we created and fully enjoy the charms of each actor."
Lee Jong-suk also said, "Even if it feels a little unfamiliar, I think you'll definitely enjoy it if you simply enjoy the work for what it is."
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