Ju Ji-hoon Says 'The Remarried Empress' Costumes Surprised Him Too

Actor Ju Ji-hoon says the revealing costumes in "The Remarried Empress" caught him off guard as well. In a new short video, he joked about how much an emperor's dignity can withstand when it comes to his wardrobe.

The YouTube channel "MMTG" posted a Shorts clip titled "Ju Ji-hoon Costume Controversy(?)" on Nov. 11.

In the video, host Jaejae brought up Ju's wardrobe in the Disney+ original series. "I heard you had a lot of thoughts, like, 'Is this really what I'm wearing out here?'" Jaejae asked.

Ju was honest about how he felt at the time.

"Every time I came out in the outfit they had ready for me, I thought, 'Is this even possible?' and 'Is it OK for this to be so see-through?'" he said.

"Where should the line be for an emperor's dignity?" he added. "I went back and forth on whether it should be the solar plexus or the belly button." The solar plexus is the area just below the chest.

Jaejae burst out laughing. "Down to the belly button is cut too low," the host said, before pressing him to explain his rule. "So when is it the solar plexus, and when is it the belly button?"

Ju already had an answer. "Usually, clothes worn at home go below the solar plexus," he said. "At official events, they go above it."

Actress Shin Min-a, who was sitting next to him, couldn't hold back her laughter either.

The joke touched on a real debate. Since its release, "The Remarried Empress" has drawn mixed reactions from viewers over the quality of its costumes and props.

Much of the criticism has focused on Ju, who plays Emperor Sovieshu. Viewers have questioned how much skin his outfits reveal and criticized their flashy designs built mostly on primary colors. "It doesn't match the tone of the show," one comment read. Another said, "It breaks the immersion."

In the clip, Ju didn't try to defend the outfits. He admitted he had asked himself the same questions some viewers were raising, and turned the criticism into a joke.