SEOUL • Advertisers have fallen out of love with actor Song Joong-ki after his recent divorce from A-list actress Song Hye-kyo.

Song Joong-ki, 33, whose surprise announcement in June of his break-up was not well-received by many fans, is now paying the price, with Korean media reporting a significant drop in demand for him to endorse products or services.

The two stars of the hit 2016 drama, Descendants Of The Sun, married in 2017.

The advertisers, according to pundits, played it safe after noting that the divorce also caused ratings for his current television series Arthdal Chronicles to fall and that even his father apologised for his son's marital woes.

Song Hye-kyo, 37, in contrast, seems to have sympathy on her side, with fans impressed that she has not lashed out at Song Joong-ki over the separation.

She was not in South Korea when he dropped the bombshell, another detail which infuriated many fans.

But she continued to work, appearing in China for a cosmetics promotion event barely a week after the divorce was announced.

She was then seen sharing the spotlight with celebrities such as actress Natalie Portman and Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova at a glitzy event hosted by high-end jewellery firm Chaumet in Monaco, and was interviewed by magazine Hong Kong Tatler.

After the divorce, she is said to have moved to a villa in the exclusive UN Village in Seoul.

Song Hye-kyo, who had an amicable arrangement with Song Joong-ki over the splitting of their assets, is so financially secure that her representatives have said she would be adopting a less hectic schedule for the rest of the year.

But Song Joong-ki, who is reportedly staying with his parents, will need to work hard to win back the affections of advertisers.