Not every relationship survives the test of time, and this statement stands true for Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo. Popularly called the Song-Song couple, the duo was once tied in holy matrimony, and everyone was in awe of their love story. It was not only South Korea but the entire Asia that was shipping for the Song-Song couple as soon as they were featured together in the iconic drama, Descendants Of The Sun. As their palpable reel-life chemistry was sizzling through the screen, they were engaging in the whirlwind of romance in their real life also. They soon became the favourite couple of the masses.
The fandom went frenzy when the couple’s agencies announced in July 2017 that Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo were getting married in October 2017. Their wedding was one of the most celebrated unions of the country. So imagine the shock everyone experienced when the news of the couple’s divorce surfaced a year and a half later. To accept that the dreamy love story of the Song-Song couple was over was a hard pill to swallow for their fans. While some speculated cheating as the root cause, some preferred to live in denial. Let’s look at their beautiful love story and the unfortunate separation.
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Song Joong Ki joined the cast of the drama, Descendants Of The Sun soon after he got released from military service. The final cast of the drama was revealed only a month before the script reading session, where the couple met for the first time. As per the cast and crew of the drama, the chemistry between the duo was palpable from the first meeting itself. The drama's filming started in June 2015 and was full of outdoor shoots. Most of the drama was shot in Greece, and reportedly, the couple spent much of their time together in between shots.
The shoot of Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo’s drama lasted until December 2015, and the two came close during this time. As per reports by Soompi, the duo started dating by the time their drama, Descendants Of The Sun went on air. A common friend of the couple said:
"They started having feelings for each other before Descendants of the Sun had aired. The drama was pre-produced so they actually began filming in the second half of 2015. Then early last year, Song Joong Ki secretly brought over some snacks to the set of Song Hye Kyo's photoshoot. It was even before their drama began airing, so the staff wondered why he came."
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As per multiple reports, Song Joong Ki perused Song Hye Kyo as he was clearly very smitten by the latter's beauty. During the initial phase, Song Hye Kyo was hesitant to get into a relationship with an actor, given her bad experiences with Lee Byung Hun and Hyun Bin. However, Song Joong Ki worked magic and charmed the actress from her feet. As the episodes of their drama proceeded, so did their on and off-screen romance.
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The Song couple were subsequently spotted together on numerous occasions, either in Seoul chilling with their friends, on the streets of New York City, or holidaying together in Bali. Rumours that the couple was dating flew right off the charts, and their fandoms were shipping and obsessing over them. Social media was flooding with their pictures together, and the situation went so out of control that their agencies had to intervene and put a stop to all of their dating ‘rumours’. The agencies declared their dating rumours to be ‘groundless’. However, this did not discourage their fans, who kept hoping and shipping for the couple to be together.
The rumour mill was further escalated when Song Joong Ki appeared at Song Hye Kyo’s fan meet. A fan meeting was organised for Song Hye Kyo in China, and surprisingly, Song Joong Ki was present at it. The two were openly flirty with each other at the event. The pleasant surprise came the next day when Song Hye shared pictures of the event on Instagram with #songsongcouple.
Only in July 2017 did the agencies of the actors confirm their relationship. Also, their agencies reported that the couple was engaged and soon to be married on October 31, 2017. As soon as the news broke out, it spread like wildfire. The duo addressed the news from their accounts and requested their fans to respect their personal space as their marriage is not only their reunion but of their families as well. In a fan letter, Hye Kyo stated:
"Joong Ki showed me his true self, trust, and his manners for a long time. I thought to myself that it would be good to spend the future with him and I was glad that he could feel my true emotions as well. That’s when I knew that he was the one. I wanted to let my fans know first about the marriage but since this matter involves more than just me, I was extra careful about it."
The Song-Song couple had a pre-wedding photoshoot in San Francisco, and their agencies shared those pictures with their fans a month prior to their wedding. Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo tied the knot on October 31, 2017, at Yeong Bin Gwan, a banquet annexe of Seoul's The Shilla Hotel. Their marriage was held in the presence of their family and close friends. Their wedding list consisted of 250 guests and was a star-studded affair. It included the cast and crew of Descendants Of The Sun, Park Bo Young of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and more.
The couple was showered with immense love from their fans and well-wishers. A month after the wedding, Song Hye shared a picture from her D-Day on Instagram with a caption both in Korean and English, thanking their fans for all the love and support. After their matrimony, the couple was always seen speaking well about each other and appeared to be very much in love. In an interview with Esquire Magazine in 2018, Joong-ki discussed how the relationship with Song Hye felt new and like they were still in the "dating stage." The entertainer additionally said that his then-to-be-bride was really pretty.
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The divorce speculations of Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo started to go around when the latter was spotted without her wedding ring. However, Joong Ki rubbished all such rumours and said that Song Hye Kyo was his biggest ‘cheerleader’ and support system. After twenty-one months into their marriage Joong Ki, through his lawyer, announced to the world that the couple was getting divorced. He requested their fans respect their privacy and not blame anyone for the separation. He further apologised to the fans for the ‘unfortunate news’ and added:
"First of all, I apologise for bringing bad news to everyone who loves and cares about me. I have arranged for my divorce with Song Hye Kyo. We both hope to settle the divorce process in a smooth manner, rather than attack and blame each other. Please understand that it is difficult to reveal the stories about our personal lives. From now on, I will try my best as an actor to repay everyone with good works."
The reason for the split was never revealed by Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo apart from the statement issued by the latter’s agency. However, specific reports suggested infidelity as the root cause of the divorce. The couple got officially divorced in July 2019. Song Hye Kyo’s agency reported:
"Our actress, Song Hye Kyo, is currently divorcing her husband after careful consideration between the two. The reason was because of their differences in personality. The two were unable to overcome their differences, which led to this decision. We politely ask for your understanding as we cannot confirm more details, because it is both of the actors’ private lives. Also, we ask that you please refrain from leaving provocative or speculative comments on the matter. We are sorry to cause worry. We will try our best to greet you all with a better side in the future."
As per a report by Econo Times Entertainment, Joong Ki filed for divorce without consulting with his ex-wife, Song Hye Kyo. A close friend revealed that as Song Hye returned from her overseas shoot, she was shocked to see the divorce papers. It was also speculated that infidelity by Joong Ki was the sole reason behind their divorce. It only got fortified when Apple Daily, a Taiwanese outlet, reported that Joong-ki was having an extramarital affair with Song Hye’s makeup artist for six months before he filed for divorce. Song Hye Kyo allegedly caught them together, and from there onwards, things went down for the Song-Song couple.
Whatever the reason for the split, it left all their fans disheartened to see their favourite Song-Song couple drift apart. Let us know your views on the Descendants of the Sun couple.
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