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 (1–10)
ButterflyBTS
For those in relationships on the verge of breaking, or in love with someone who already has an unattainable partner—this is exactly when “Butterfly” hits hardest.
It’s a ballad about sharing youth together, included on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt.
2, an album titled with a phrase meaning “the most beautiful moment in life.” The lyrics, echoing with the desperate plea to “stop time,” bring tears to your eyes.
Enhanced by BTS’s expressive delivery, the fragility and yearning are amplified.
Perhaps life is beautiful precisely because of the uncertainties and the things we cannot see.
I’m here for youX1
A letter-like ballad by X1, born from the 2019 audition program PRODUCE X 101.
The gentle melody and vocals are woven as if speaking to you carefully, word by word.
With lyrics that encourage you—“It’s okay to walk slowly.
It’s alright.
I’m here.”—this is a song whose unwavering kindness truly resonates.
The lyrics are just unbelievably beautiful.
Hearing words like these is so reassuring, isn’t it? It makes me teary even on a normal day, but when I’m feeling down, it’s a guaranteed tearjerker—a masterpiece.
X1 will continue to live on in our hearts.
Us, AgainSEVENTEEN
A song filled with deep feelings for fans was released in June 2020.
Layered over gentle piano and acoustic guitar, SEVENTEEN’s delicate vocals create a calm and sentimental ballad.
Woozi participated in the production, and the track carries a strong message about walking forward together even in difficult times.
Although it is an unofficial song produced as part of the documentary series “SEVENTEEN: Hit The Road,” the music video features handwritten lyrics by the members, conveying their sincere feelings toward fans.
It’s a song to listen to in moments when you want to feel that your hearts are connected, even when you’re apart from someone important.
Tearjerking K-pop Ballads: Korean Songs That Will Make You Cry (11–20)
AbyssJin(BTS)
A deep ballad that overwhelms with Jin’s beautiful vocals.
It was released on December 4, his birthday.
Though it has an oceanic depth, a gentle atmosphere peeks through.
Conveying the feelings at the bottom of one’s heart is very difficult, but turning them into a song and sharing them like this reveals Jin’s character.
As the eldest of BTS, his struggles, his identity as an individual—this is precious music filled with Jin’s thoughts.
It may bring you to tears, but when everything feels obscured, it might help you slowly face yourself.
It’s heartrending, yet somehow encouraging and empowering.
Make me cry(나를 울려)Cha Ga-eul, Jang Sae-byeok
The duet song “Make me cry” by Cha Ga-eul and Jang Se-byeok, who debuted in 2019 under Monday Kiz Company, was released in 2021.
It was produced by Lee Jin-sung of the male R&B unit Monday Kiz.
With lyrics and composition by Han Kyung-soo and Choi Han-sol—who worked on many ballads for the drama Start-Up—it’s a superb ballad that is lyrical and emotionally stirring.
The aching longing for an unforgettable love, layered with the duo’s beautiful harmonies, is sure to move you to tears.
LOVE SCENARIO (사랑을 했다)iKON
LOVE SCENARIO, iKON’s signature track and a well-known breakup song.
When you go through a breakup, it feels like there’s a gaping hole in your heart, doesn’t it? This song portrays someone thinking about days that will never return and looking back on the time they were in love.
Yet even in that reflection, it conveys a forward-looking feeling that it was a wonderful romance.
The unison part in the latter half strangely gives you strength, but that brightness can also bring you to tears.
That blend of poignancy and power really hits you, you know?
Your regards(니 소식)Song Ha-ye (Son Ha-ye)
Song Ha-ye’s “Your Regards” is a spring 2019 ballad that ranked high on the streaming charts.
It overflows with the heartache of hearing, through the grapevine, that an ex has found a new lover.
Even when you try to switch your feelings, you can’t do it right away—it’s painful.
In the music video, the singing scene around the mid-to-late section, with its karaoke-like immediacy and raw urgency, tightens your chest to the point you feel your emotions might collapse.
Also, be sure to listen for its connection to “Another Love (새 사랑),” released the same autumn as a spin-off.