The Remarried Empress: Lee Se-young’s necklace sparks Temu controversy, team denies claims

The production team behind the Disney+ series The Remarried Empress has denied reports that a necklace worn by the actress Lee Se-young came from Temu. The online claims had raised wider questions about the costumes and props in one of the streaming service’s most ambitious Korean productions.

The speculation started after Disney+ released new stills of Lee as Rashta on November 9. In the images, she is seated and wearing a mint-green gown with three-dimensional floral details, ribbons and lace, along with a necklace of closely set black stones and a teardrop-shaped pendant.

Users in online communities soon said the necklace looked very similar to items sold on platforms such as Temu and Pinduoduo for about 2,000 won, or roughly $1.49. According to reports, quoted by AllKpop, a search for “Vintage Teardrop Necklace” on Temu returns similar designs priced between about 2,000 and 8,000 won. Other users noted that a similar design alone did not show the items were the same.

In a statement to SPOTV News, as quoted by AllKPop, on November 9, the production team said the necklace had been purchased from a local vintage shop in Europe and had no connection to Temu products. SPOTV News also reported that a similar necklace sold for about 8,000 won on a Chinese platform had been confirmed as a different item. With that clarification, the dispute over the necklace’s origin appears to be resolved.

"The prop was purchased from a local vintage shop in Europe and has absolutely no connection to Temu products," the team clarified.

A high-profile adaptation

The scrutiny reflects the attention around the project. The series is adapted from a web novel by Alphatart that was first published in 2018 and later turned into a webtoon illustrated by Sumpul. The Naver webtoon has drawn close to 3 billion views, and before the premiere some readers had questioned whether a live-action version could recreate the story’s elaborate setting.

The series has been described as the most expensive Korean drama produced by Disney, with reported production costs in the tens of billions of won. In promotional featurettes, the creative team discussed the series’ sets and costumes and said they reviewed 16 real castles during preproduction.

The series is directed by Jo Soo Won, whose previous credits include I Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio and 30 but 17. The screenplay is by Yeo Gee Na, a writer on “The Uncanny Counter,” and Hyun Chung Yeol, who wrote “Brave Citizen.” Jo has said the main challenge was tone, describing the webtoon as bright and playful and saying he aimed for a balance between that tone and a more grounded drama.

The drama follows Navier (Shin Min Ah), empress of the Eastern Empire, after Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji Hoon) tells her he intends to divorce her. Rather than accept the decision, Navier asks to marry Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong Suk) of the Western Kingdom.

Lee plays Rashta, a former runaway slave who attracts the emperor’s attention and becomes his concubine. The character drives much of the series’ political and romantic conflict and is central to the first four episodes. Disney+ has also promoted the character on its official YouTube channel with a short dubbed clip of one of her lines.

Strong early viewership

The criticism has not hurt viewership. Disney+ said the series became its most-watched local original production worldwide during its first three days, a figure based on the four episodes available at the time. The release has also been tied to promotion of the source material: Naver Webtoon began serializing a spinoff on Oct. 29, and Naver Series offered the full original novel free for one day.

The Remarried Empress has 10 episodes. After a four-episode premiere, two new episodes are released every Wednesday. The series streams on Disney+.