Shin Min-a's "The Remarried Empress" Teaser Hits 11.7M Views in 24 Hours

Disney+ has a new record on its hands. The teaser for the upcoming Korean fantasy series "The Remarried Empress" pulled in 11.7 million views within 24 hours of its release, the highest first-day figure for any Disney+ Korean original series teaser to date.

The show stars Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young. It is a romance fantasy epic set in a Western-style imperial court. Shin plays Navier, empress of the Eastern Empire. When her husband, Emperor Sovieshu, played by Ju, falls for a runaway slave named Rashta, played by Lee Se-young, he asks Navier for a divorce. Instead of simply accepting it, she demands approval to remarry Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom, played by Lee Jong-suk.

"The Remarried Empress" is a live-action adaptation of the hit web novel and webtoon of the same name. The teaser was released simultaneously in South Korea and in overseas markets including the United States, Canada and Spain. Its 11.7 million views across the first 24 hours mark the strongest opening ever for a Disney+ Korean original series teaser.

The clip also gave viewers their first real look at the four leads in character. Shin appears as Navier, a poised and self-possessed empress, wearing elaborate imperial gowns and jewelry that closely mirror the character's look in the source material.

Ju plays Sovieshu, the all-powerful emperor of the Eastern Empire. He is Navier's husband, but his growing feelings for Rashta drive a wedge into the marriage. Lee Se-young plays Rashta, the former runaway slave whose innocent surface hides a sharper ambition.

Lee Jong-suk takes on Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom, who approaches Navier and forms a new bond with her, setting him on a collision course with Sovieshu. The story turns on Navier's divorce and remarriage, with love, betrayal and ambition intertwining among the four characters and shaking the imperial court.

In the previously released teaser, Sovieshu tells Navier, "No matter what happens, you are my only wife." His stance shifts sharply once Rashta enters the picture. When he eventually asks for a divorce, Navier accepts on one condition: that her remarriage to Heinrey be approved, flipping the balance of power in the process.

The source material's global reach is helping fuel interest. As of July 2026, "The Remarried Empress" IP, expanded across web novel and webtoon platforms, has drawn a cumulative 2.97 billion views worldwide. With a built-in international readership, casting choices and world-building have been closely watched since well before the show's release.

Viewers online have responded with a mix of curiosity and amusement. Comments have ranged from "I don't want to watch it and I do want to watch it at the same time" and "It feels like watching foreigners shoot a Korean historical drama" to "Welcome, my new dopamine" and "It's toeing the line between good and cringey." Much of that reaction seems to stem from the unusual sight of Korean actors bringing a Western-style royal court fantasy to life in Korean. Whether the Western fantasy setting and the Korean cast can strike a balance will be one of the show's key questions.

"The Remarried Empress" premieres November 4 on Disney+.