Tearjerker K-pop ballads: Korean songs that will make you cry
When do you break down in tears?
When you go through a breakup, when you can no longer see someone important to you—so many emotions can well up at times like these.
Here, we carefully curate and introduce K-pop “songs that make you cry” that stand close to each person’s desire to weep.
From tracks that overwhelm with grand, expansive worlds to songs that intimately capture everyday life, we cover a wide range—classic staples, of course, and new releases added as they come.
May these emotion-rich songs unique to K-pop help soothe your heart, even just a little.
- K-POP and Korean tear-jerker songs: tracks that deeply resonate and bring you to tears
- [Exquisite Ballad Songs] K-pop that touches the soul. Korean Ballads
- K-pop that touches the heart: masterful ballads by Korean male artists
- K-pop that touches the heart: iconic ballads by Korean female artists
- K-pop and Korean love songs: Love songs that really capture the Korean view of romance
- A poignant, heart-touching K-pop song. A bittersweet track that resonates with many different emotions.
- [K-POP] Korean 'yami' songs that fit a blue mood
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- An emotional Korean song. A gently moving, sensitive masterpiece.
- [Korean popular music] Popular trot songs. Masterpieces by trot singers.
- A J-POP song highly popular in South Korea [with a Korean-language cover too!]
- [Korea] A ballad-style friendship song. A roundup of classic K-pop masterpieces
- K-pop to color your Instagram stories: recommended Korean songs
Tearjerker K-pop Ballads: Korean Songs That Make You Cry (71–80)
Flowing down the cheekSeo Yeong-eun
This is the OST from the 2017 Korean drama Ruler: Master of the Mask.
As a young crown prince who was raised hiding his face behind a mask fights to reclaim his throne and kingdom, many moving stories of friendship and love unfold.
The singer of this song, Seo Young-eun, began her career as a jazz vocalist and made her album debut in 1998.
Her clear voice is truly beautiful! She has worked on the OSTs of numerous dramas to date.
Beautiful PainBTOB
Among BTOB’s songs, this is one of the most heartrending ballads.
It was released in 2018.
First of all, their beautiful vocals are irresistible.
It’s important, so I’ll say it again: their beautiful vocals are irresistible.
The Japanese title would be something like “Beautiful Yet Sad,” and it’s a masterpiece ballad that exudes fragility and the expressive power of the BTOB members.
It sings of meetings and partings, the passage of time, and toward the latter half it gradually gains warmth and beauty to the point that you can’t hold back tears.
It makes you realize you want to cherish each and every moment.
Fallen StarElaine (일레인)
The 2019 Korean drama Vagabond, starring Lee Seung-gi and former miss A member Suzy, became available to watch in Japan on Netflix right away.
It’s a thrilling series in which the protagonist, caught up in a civilian airliner crash, uncovers a national conspiracy.
One of the songs from its OST is sung in English despite being from a Korean drama.
Its gentle tones and soaring vocals make it a very pleasant track.
JoseeHYNN
Josee, a song that reminisces about a former lover.
Released in 2023 by HYNN (Park Hye-won), renowned for her powerful vocals and noted for reaching the Top 3 on the audition show Superstar K 2016.
For those who chose to part ways due to various circumstances, this track will resonate especially deeply.
Its lyrics, which seem to vividly revive old memories, may even make you want to revisit those nostalgic places.
It gently stirs the heart as it reflects on someone striving in a different world.
Immerse yourself in the song’s universe along with the beautiful visuals of the music video—set around the sea and featuring the artist herself.
Way HomeKim Soo Hyun
A gem of a ballad sung by popular Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun.
Released in April 2024 as part of the OST for the drama “Queen of Tears.” Carried by a heartbreaking yet warm melody, it sings of the hope to reclaim beautiful memories of the past and a love that was lost.
Soo-hyun’s emotionally rich vocals further enhance the nostalgic atmosphere.
It’s a song worthy of the drama’s climax, one that stirs the heart every time you listen.
Perfect for healing the pain of heartbreak or when you’re wishing to reunite with someone dear.
It’s sure to gently stay by your side.
Time and Trace하현상 (Ha Hyun Sang)
To varying degrees, everyone probably finds themselves caught up in past events at times, don’t they? This is a song that stays by your side in those moments.
It’s a bittersweet rock ballad by Ha Hyunsang—who served as guitarist and vocalist for Hoppipolla and won the audition program Superband, which also produced LUCY.
Released in 2023 as the title track of his first album, it captures the aimlessness of wandering through days without direction and the helplessness that comes with the passage of time.
It seeps into those emotions.
In the end, a saving phrase turns your gaze forward, and the lyrics—urging you toward the next path—touch the heartstrings once again.
WindFTISLAND
An epic rock ballad released by the band FTISLAND in 2017.
It was included on their commemorative 10th-anniversary album, OVER 10 YEARS.
A fragile, heartrending song that seeps into a weary heart.
Beginning with a gentle, piano-based arrangement that gradually layers into an intense band sound, it pulls you in even deeper.
Hongki’s commanding vocals—like he’s pouring out everything he feels—amplify the emotion even more.
It’s filled to the brim with an unbreakable longing, to the point where the sorrow of heartbreak feels unstoppable.