Divorce of K-drama celebrity couple stuns fans

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo —AFP

South Korean star couple Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo are seeking a divorce to end their celebrity marriage of less than two years, stunning their fans across Asia.

Dubbed the “Song-Song couple,” they tied the knot in October 2017 after falling in love while costarring in the 2016 mega-hit television drama, “Descendants of the Sun.”

A law firm representing actor Song Joong-ki said on Thursday that he and his wife Song Hye-kyo had been taking legal proceedings for a divorce.

“I have begun the arbitration process for divorce from Song Hye-kyo,” Song Joong-ki said in a statement issued by his lawyer.

The 33-year-old actor apologized for “delivering this unfortunate news to the many fans who love and care for me.”

“I ask for your understanding in regards to the fact that it is difficult to discuss the details of my personal life, and I will recover from my current wounds and do my utmost as an actor to repay you through great productions in the future. Thank you,” he added.

Differences in personality

Song Joong-ki did not give a reason for the divorce, saying that “rather than blaming and criticizing each other, I wish to end the marriage in an amicable manner.”

In a statement issued by her talent agency, the 37-year-old Song Hye-kyo cited “differences in personality” as reason for the split.

She also asked fans to avoid “speculative media reports and comments” on their troubled marriage.

Song Hye-kyo, who shot to fame with a role in the 2000 TV series “Autumn in My Heart,” was among the guests at a state dinner in Beijing when South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited China in 2017.

The Song-Song couple, as they were called by the media, are part of the “Korean Wave” of drama and popular music that has swept through the rest of Asia.

Asia’s Brangelina

They were seen as Asia’s answer to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and, like Brangelina, even got their own joint moniker.

The pair played the leads in the 2016 military romance that took Asia by storm, garnering billions of views on Chinese video-streaming sites and winning a thumbs-up from Thailand’s junta chief, who praised the main characters’ sense of duty.

“Descendants of the Sun” tells the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission to a fictional war-torn country, Uruk, where he meets and falls in love with a surgeon working with a medical NGO.

The couple’s legions of Filipino fans took to social media to express sadness over the breakup.

As of press time on Thursday, the story of the divorce posted on Inquirer.net has drawn more than 1,700 comments.

“Song Song No More,” “Song Song Blue,” “Walang (There’s no) Forever,” some of the fans mournfully quipped. Others wondered whether it was Song Joong-ki who initiated the divorce. —REPORTS FROM AP, AFP