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 (21–30)
헤어지자 말해요(Let’s Say Goodbye)박재정(Parc Jae Jung)
Park Jae-jung, whose voice blends gentleness with power, is loved by many.
Among the songs he sings, the heartbreak ballad “헤어지자 말해요 (Let’s Say Goodbye)” is especially known for making listeners cry.
As the title suggests, it portrays a man who wishes the woman would be the one to bring up the breakup, and a woman who tries to do so but hesitates.
However, if you listen closely, you can tell that deep down they don’t really want to part—that’s the part that brings tears.
See The LightGOT7
This song by GOT7 from JYP Entertainment, released in 2006, hooks you right away with Jackson’s cool rap at the beginning! The title has a meaning like “You Who Shine.” The man in the song feels very happy because he has a radiant, wonderful girlfriend, but at the same time, he’s jealous.
Since his girlfriend is so amazing, he can’t help worrying about other men’s feelings toward her.
It’s kind of cute, isn’t it? That’s exactly why its straightforward message of “only you” really captivates women.
WHO YOU?G-DRAGON
“WHO YOU?”, a double-title track included on G-DRAGON’s 2013 album COUP D’E TAT, is a sad breakup song about discovering your lover was seeing someone else.
While the sound has a bright feel at times and even conveys a defiant “screw it” message, it’s overflowing with the helpless frustration of being unable to do anything and the longing for them to come back.
When you’re betrayed by someone you trusted, everything becomes incomprehensible.
What really gets me—my personal highlight—is the non-lyrical vocal parts; they seem packed with so many emotions that they make me want to cry.
CrybabyZia
The song released by solo singer Jia in November 2024 is a ballad that delicately portrays the pain of heartbreak and self-loathing.
Blending piano melodies with orchestration, it highlights Jia’s rich, resonant vocals.
It captures the protagonist’s shifting emotions and loneliness as they self-mockingly call themselves a “crybaby,” leaving a powerful impression on listeners.
With deeply introspective lyrics and a sophisticated arrangement, this track is perfect for anyone who’s experienced heartbreak or is seeking a song that truly moves the heart.
DEARESTTōhōshinki
The ballad by TVXQ that portrays a love transcending life and death has deeply moved listeners.
One of the gems on their 20th-anniversary album “ZONE” tenderly sings of the happiness of feeling a bond with a loved one, and of moving forward with hope even while reflecting on the fragility of life.
Set against a classical arrangement rich with piano and strings, the voices of Yunho and Changmin resonate beautifully, drawing listeners into a world full of emotion.
Released in November 2024, the song’s music video also depicts a timeless bond of love through the story of a grandfather and a young girl.
When facing heartbreak or a turning point in life, this song is sure to be by your side.
Sing For YouEXO
A ballad where EXO’s rich vocals sink in over a moist, gentle acoustic guitar melody.
It’s one of the double title tracks from their 2015 winter album, “Sing For You.” When you’re in love, that person can feel larger than anything else.
The more time you spend together, the harder it somehow becomes to say those simple, ordinary words—why is that? While this song centers on the theme of a confession, it warmly stands by you in conveying those everyday feelings, making it a tender tearjerker.
Its mystical mood slowly seeps in, too.
RomanticSHINee
This is a ballad that gently seeps into the heart, showcasing SHINee’s outstanding vocal prowess.
Included on their debut album “The SHINee World,” released in August 2008, the song beautifully captures the pain and memories of a lost love.
The lyrics portray the bittersweet feelings after a breakup—memories in photographs, the warmth of the other person you can still feel—and they resonate deeply with listeners.
The emotive voices of this Korean group carry a comforting warmth, as if soothing the pain of heartbreak.
It’s a track that keeps you company on solitary nights or in those moments when you want to remember someone special.