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)
Destiny (2025)Monday Kiz, Lee Yi Kyung
An emotional duet ballad by Monday Kiz, the Korean vocal group renowned for their overwhelming vocal prowess, and actor Lee Yi Kyung.
The track is the title song of the single “Monday Kiz’s Footprints Vol.1 (with Lee Yi Kyung),” released in July 2025, and is a remake of a beloved classic originally featured on the OST of the 2006 drama “Wolf (늑대).” It seems to portray the aching hearts of two people irresistibly drawn together by inescapable fate.
The contrast between Monday Kiz’s soul-stirring vocals and Lee Yi Kyung’s emotionally rich singing is deeply moving.
The grand harmonies immediately draw listeners into the world of the story.
It’s perfect for a night when you want to immerse yourself in a dramatic ballad—give it a listen.
To You My Light (Feat 이라온)MAKTUB
A song about thinking of a beloved girlfriend on sleepless nights.
MAKTUB is a singer-songwriter who became famous with this track.
It’s not a sad tearjerker, but a song that brings tears over the wonder of love.
As the title suggests, he sings that she is like a light to him.
MAKTUB’s delicate vocals and the beautiful melody convey his single-minded devotion to her.
It’s perfect as a lullaby for bedtime, soothing you even as it brings you to tears.
Falling UT-ARA
T-ARA is currently a four-member female idol group, and their popularity in Japan grew after “Bo Peep Bo Peep” became a hit.
It’s a very feminine tear-jerker, so I especially recommend it to women; it’s a song that brings a sense of calm when you listen to it.
K-POP Ballads That Will Make You Cry: Tearjerker Songs from Korea (81–90)
It’s Love(사랑인걸)Huh Gak(허각)
When it comes to tear-jerking Korean songs, you can’t leave out Huh Gak’s heartbreaking breakup tracks.
Released in July 2024, this piece gives voice to feelings for someone that won’t fade even as the days go by.
It portrays emotions anyone can relate to, like how words of love can stir up pain and the longing to hold that person once more.
True to Huh Gak, who has earned high praise for drama OSTs, it’s a song that seeps into your heart alongside its visuals.
On nights when you want to heal the wounds of a breakup, it will gently stay by your side.
DIVINEshōjo jidai
A grand ballad adorned with a crystal-clear, beautiful melody and lyrics that are both heartrending and powerful.
It was included on the 2014 album “THE BEST.” The strong harmonies of all nine Girls’ Generation members stir the heart, singing of courage and hope to move forward through hardship.
Within the magnificent soundscape woven by strings and piano, each member’s voice blends beautifully.
As the final official recording by the group’s nine-member lineup including Jessica, this song holds deep significance for fans.
It is a gem of a ballad that showcases Girls’ Generation’s musical prowess—one that resonates when you’ve faced setbacks or farewells and need the courage to look ahead.
MoonASTRO
A memorial song filled with memories and hope.
This digital single, released in April 2025 to mark the second anniversary of Moonbin’s passing, features a collaboration between the boy group ASTRO and 22 artists who were close to him.
With lyrics contributed by ASTRO’s members and composition by Jinjin, the piece is a quietly moving ballad.
The careful vocals by all members and the gently flowing, soothing melody line leave a strong impression.
Imbued with deep feelings for a beloved person, the song is sure to resonate with many listeners.
Endless EndingBEAST (HIGHLIGHT)
After nine years, the boy group HIGHLIGHT releases a moving ballad under the name BEAST.
It’s a pre-release track from their mini-album “From Real to Surreal,” which came out in April 2025, and it’s a poignant love song likened to a movie’s ending.
The song features contributions from Nu’Maker and other artists from Room01, capturing the group’s emotions as they overcame a name change and trademark issues.
Main vocalist Yang Yoseop’s crystal-clear voice and the members’ expressive harmonies resonate deeply.
It’s a gem of a ballad to listen to on nights when you want to dwell on past memories or in moments when you’re thinking of someone special.