Descendants of the Sun Stars Song Joong Ki & Song Hye Kyo Divorce Due To “Differences In Personalities”

The stars, affectionately nicknamed ‘Song-Song couple’, played lovers on hit K-drama Descendants of the Sun and fell in love in real life. They got married at an intimate fairytale wedding ceremony on October 31, 2017. Held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, the event was shrouded in secrecy and attended by stars like Zhang Ziyi.

After they got hitched, the couple reportedly moved into their two-storey marital home in the Itaewon district in Seoul, which Song Joong Ki was rumoured to have bought for S$12 mil while he was dating Song Hye Kyo. They counted fellow K-stars Rain and Kim Tae Hee as their neighbours.

In his official statement to the press, Song Joong Ki said: “On June 26, we filed a request for divorce on behalf of Song Joong Ki with Seoul's family court. First, I want to deliver my apologies to many of you who love and cherish me, for such unfortunate news. I have decided to move forward in a divorce with Song Hye Kyo. Rather than lengthen the process by considering each other's faults and deriding each other, I hope to complete the divorce amicably. I ask for your understanding in the fact that it is difficult to reveal the specific details of our personal lives, and I promise to overcome these damages and do my best as an actor in my production roles from now on."

Rumours of the Song-Song couple heading for the divorce court earlier swirled in May this year, when eagle-eyed paparazzi observed that the Songs were frequently spotted without their wedding rings. They also noticed that Song Hye Kyo had been deleting photos of Song Joong Ki from her Instagram account, and started posting more photos of herself with her three pet dogs.

The rumours were quickly debunked by the couple’s respective management agencies, and Song Joong Ki later appeared in a behind-the-scenes video for his period drama Arthdal Chronicles wearing his wedding ring.

The Song-Song couple’s real-life union seems like it was meant to be, given their sizzling chemistry in Descendants of the Sun (Song Hye Kyo plays a doctor who falls in love with Song Joong Ki’s military captain character).

But Song Hye Kyo’s label UAA Korea announced that the reason for their divorce is due to “differences in their personalities”. In their statement, they explained: “Song Hye Kyo has decided to proceed with divorce procedures after a lengthy debate. The reason for their separation is the differences in their personalities, and the two ultimately came to this decision as they were unfortunately unable to overcome their differences. Outside of this, we cannot reveal any more details as it is the actors' personal matters, so please understand."

Meanwhile, Song Joong Ki’s label Blossom Entertainment also released an apologetic statement: “Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo have come to this decision to end their marriage after a serious discussion, and they are undergoing the legal procedures for divorce after an amicable settlement. We are deeply sorry to deliver such news to many who congratulated the couple on their marriage and cheered them on. We beg that you refrain from spreading any false rumors or thoughtless suspicions regarding the divorce. Once again, we apologize for bringing sad news."

News of the K-stars’ divorce practically broke the internet, with netizens speculating the reasons for the split. Korean entertainment news website Allkpop reported that a close friend of the couple spoke to the media to debunk the online rumours, apparently saying: “Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo met on the set of Descendants of the Sun and got married because they truly fell in love. After their marriage, they grew apart because of their extremely busy schedules as well as their differences in personalities, and that's why it has come to this."