'Korean Wave' celebrity couple to split, fans mourn

South Korean actors Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki are splitting up less than two years after their fairytale marriage, the couple said on Thursday, shocking fans across Asia.

The co-stars of the 2016 hit television melodrama 'Descendants of the Sun'- who played a soldier and doctor who fall in love - planned to seek divorce due to personality differences.

"I have begun the arbitration process for divorce from Song Hye-kyo," Song Joong-ki, 33, said in a statement issued by his lawyer.

"Both of us hope to settle the divorce process in a smooth manner, rather than debating wrongdoing and blaming each other," he added.

Song Hye-kyo, 37, cited "differences in personality" as the reason for their divorce, her talent agency said in a statement.

The SongSong couple, as they were dubbed by the media, arepart of the "Korean Wave" of drama and popular music that has swept through the rest of Asia.

Song Hye-kyo, who first gained 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.

Fans rushed to social media to mourn the breakup of what some called the "perfect couple".

"It's the end of 'once' a beautiful love story," @BbHourBlythe said on Twitter. "I will remain a fan!"