Disney+’s The Re-Married Empress faces early backlash over Nazi-era insignia in costumes; production vows to replace props and tighten checks

Disney+ unveiled the Korean fantasy series The Re-Married Empress, starring Shin Min-ah and Jo Ji-hoon, at a Hong Kong preview. Early released photos showed the emperor wearing insignia that drew criticism for resembling a Nazi-era decoration. The production acknowledged the issue, apologized for insufficient prop checks, and said the affected items would be replaced and stricter measures would be implemented to prevent recurrence.

The show is adapted from a popular web novel and centers on Nabie, a once-revered empress of the fictional Dongdae Empire, who seeks a divorce from the emperor and pushes for remarriage with Hanri, a prince from a neighboring western kingdom. The ensemble includes Jo Ji-hoon, Shin Min-ah, Lee Jung-seok, and Lee Se-young. It is directed by Jo Su-won, with scripts by Ye Ji-na and Hyun Chung-yeol.

To realize the Western medieval fantasy aesthetic, production filmed across Germany and the Czech Republic, aiming to deliver a visually ambitious romance fantasy that could redefine Korean fantasy on Disney+. Disney+ is lining up a 2026 slate that includes The Re-Married Empress among other titles, signaling a broad push into Korean fantasy storytelling.