SEOUL • A couple can understandably go their separate ways for various reasons, but South Korean netizens cannot accept family members being kept in the dark.

Which is why Song Joong-ki, who announced his divorce from Song Hye-kyo on June 27, is getting flak after news surfaced that his father is so distraught he has refused to step out of his house.

Worse, netizens fume, the father is said to have heard the news via media reports and not from the actor himself. According to allkpop portal, the father would not answer even phone calls from friends.

Media reports said the father backed the marriage despite having some reservations initially over the age gap. Song Joong-ki is 33, while Song Hye-kyo is 37. The stars of the hit 2016 drama Descendants Of The Sun married in 2017.

Song Joong-ki had earlier been slammed by some netizens over springing the surprise divorce announcement while the actress was doing a photo shoot in Thailand.

But some fans have jumped to his defence, speculating that he was forced to reveal the split because of an imminent risk of the news being leaked to the media, and could not alert his dad in advance.

Others think the actor shied away from informing family members because divorce is not a trivial matter for the older generation in South Korea.

Song Hye-kyo has yet to issue a personal statement on the divorce, fuelling further speculation that the sudden turn of events caught her off guard.

Meanwhile, producers of fantasy drama Arthdal Chronicles, which stars Song Joong-ki, could do without the unwanted distractions.

The big-budget show, which has already been hobbled by mixed reviews and so-so ratings, may take a further knock from viewers angry over his marital situation boycotting the show.