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
Heart-Wrenching K-POP Ballads: Korean Tearjerker Songs (101–110)
내사랑 내곁에Kimu Hyonshiku
This is a huge hit by Kim Hyun-sik, who has been described as the Korean Yutaka Ozaki.
Released in 1991, its title means “My Love, By My Side,” and it was adapted into a film in 2009.
Recorded before he fell ill and released posthumously, the song features Hyun-sik’s husky voice, which feels gently yet warmly enveloping—enough to bring tears to your eyes.
It sounds as if he’s singing with his very soul.
Even now, it continues to be covered by many artists and is passed down as an immortal classic.
The Ordinary Man(뻔한남자)I SUNGI (I SUNGI)
Lee Seung-gi, who’s been active as an actor in recent years, has made a return! This song is included on his December 2020 album “The Project.” It’s a ballad created in collaboration with Yoon Jong-shin, famous for “좋니 (Like It).” It’s a song about a breakup with universal lyrics that you’ll surely relate to.
It’s so frustrating how, instead of changing, the two just got used to going with the flow… There’s no end to the regret.
The final scene where he sits in the chair conveys a sense of “nothingness” in many ways and leaves you with a painful ache.
Lee Seung-gi’s stunningly beautiful vocals will bring you to tears.
Breakups(몇 번의 이별)Jeong Hyobin (Chung Hyobin)
Jeong Hyobin, a female singer who debuted in 2019 and is a must-listen if you’re into ballads.
She has also drawn attention with “Starlight,” an OST from the drama Run On.
Released in 2020, “Breakups” is a song about separation; its simple arrangement of guitar and strings pairs with Jeong Hyobin’s delicate vocals to create a deeply affecting ballad.
In the latter half, when her voice rises an octave into high tones, it’s guaranteed to make your emotions overflow.
헤어지자 (Prod. 정키)휘인 (WHEE IN)
It’s a track from MAMAMOO’s Wheein’s 2019 album “soar.” Her delicate vocals are absolutely beautiful.
While it has a soothing, healing effect that can bring you peace, it also portrays the heartbreaking feeling of drifting so far apart from a small misunderstanding that there’s no turning back.
In the end, it becomes unbearable and she says goodbye… it’s incredibly sorrowful.
A tear-jerking ballad that fully conveys Wheein’s sensibilities.
Beautiful WomanLee Ye Joon
Singer Lee Ye-jun’s new release from January 2025.
It’s a heartrending ballad that sings of deep sorrow and regret after losing a loved one.
The arrangement is simple yet emotionally powerful, and Lee Ye-jun’s clear, crystalline vocals leave a strong impression.
Moments of parting and the plea to “love me once again” are conveyed through the beautiful harmony of piano and strings.
It’s the perfect song for soothing the pain of heartbreak or reflecting on someone dear to you.
K-POP Ballads That Will Make You Cry: Korean Tearjerker Songs (111–120)
EmptyCHEN
A tearjerker from CHEN’s fourth mini album “DOOR,” woven with grand piano melodies and moving strings.
Released in May 2024 by the Korea-born artist, this poignant ballad portrays the pain of heartbreak and the ache of loneliness.
Known as the main vocalist of EXO, his expressive voice beautifully conveys the emotions that sway within an empty heart.
Also featured on the soundtrack of the drama “HERO,” this song tenderly accompanies the sorrow of losing someone dear.
Listen to it alone late at night, and it’s sure to resonate deeply.
I Still love you a lotJeon Sang Keun(전상근)
This song, with its beautifully striking high notes in the chorus, is by the singer-songwriter Jeong Seung-eun.
It’s a sad love song about a man who was dumped by his girlfriend.
The lyrics are so heartbreakingly sorrowful that both men and women will likely relate—and they make you want to cry as you listen.
The pain of still loving her yet being unable to say “please come back,” the longing to meet again even after the breakup—imagining it all against Jeong Seung-eun’s magnificent vocals brings tears to your eyes.