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 Will Make You Cry (31–40)
GIRL FRIENDBIGBANG
A love song that portrays happy days with someone you cherish, released by BIGBANG, who captivate audiences with their overflowing charisma and rich musicality.
It was included on MADE, the masterpiece released in 2016 that concludes the MADE series.
“Just thinking about the person you love can make you happy.” This song, which sings of such fulfilling love, has a relaxed mood that lets you deeply feel that atmosphere.
The straightforward lyrics, filled with the desire to stay together forever, gently tug at your heartstrings.
In My DreamSUPER JUNIOR
SUPER JUNIOR, a group whose members have each long led the Korean entertainment scene as individuals as well, released this song on their 4th album, BONAMANA, in 2010.
It’s a ballad that chronicles the feelings after a breakup.
The narrator dreams of peacefully drifting into sleep and spending happy moments there, only to wake and find their lover no longer by their side—overflowing with that kind of poignant sorrow.
The wish to simply fall into an eternal sleep seeps into the hollow left in the heart by lost love.
Their vocal performances, too, draw you in and make you empathize, as if being gently wrapped in the emotion.
EYES, NOSE, LIPS -KR Ver.-SOL (from BIGBANG)
“EYES, NOSE, LIPS” was born from SOL’s real-life experience.
It’s based on a breakup he went through with a former lover.
From this true-to-life heartbreak song, it went on to become a major global hit.
The title is striking, and it implicitly means he remembers every detail of his ex-girlfriend.
Her gestures and the way she touched him are seared vividly into his mind.
With memories that clear, you’d think it wouldn’t be painful—but of course it is.
You can really feel the push and pull of wanting to let go but being unable to.
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.
맨정신(SOBER)BIGBANG
The Korean title is “Sober.” It sings of suffering—how, in a sober, ordinary state of mind, you can’t possibly remain calm.
“Sober” refers to not being drunk.
In other words, the person in this song is drinking and can’t breathe without borrowing the power of alcohol.
From the melancholy melody, you can tell they’re in an extremely tough situation.
When you run into a wall, listening to it might resonate with you on a gut level, beyond logic.
Love StoryLyn
This is an OST from the poignant romance drama The Legend of the Blue Sea, starring Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun.
Please look up the lyrics and give it a listen! It’s truly a tearjerker.
The joy of being with the one you love whom you met as if by fate—and yet the two share a heartrending story… You can feel all of that in this song.
Lyn, who sings this track, rarely appears on TV and the like, but she has made her mark with her lyrical, beautiful voice, which you can hear in this song.
7월 7일 (One Of These Nights)Red Velvet
A ballad released by Red Velvet in 2016.
As the title “July 7th” suggests, it’s a Tanabata song themed around Orihime and Hikoboshi.
It will likely resonate with those in a long-distance relationship or anyone unable to see someone important to them.
Time spent with a loved one can feel as if it stands still—and when you can’t meet, that feeling is even stronger.
This song, which stays by your side even in hard times, can bring you to tears.
It’s a classic, straightforward ballad, but there are many interpretations surrounding it, so give it a listen from that angle as well.
From HomeNCT U
This is a masterpiece included on NCT’s album “NCT 2020: RESONANCE Pt.
1,” which has taken the world by storm with its most global style, and it was crafted by R&B artist JUNNY.
The vocal lineup features Taeil, Yuta, Haechan, Doyoung, Chenle, Renjun, and Kun.
Set against a laid-back sound, it conveys a message of believing in the bonds we’ve built together and moving forward with strength.
There’s also a “Rearranged Ver.” dedicated to fans.
Watching the music video, you can feel the members’ bonds transcending national borders—it’s truly moving.
Having a place where you belong is so reassuring.
This warm ballad feels like it’s saying, “Welcome home.”
Love PoemIU
A track from the album of the same name released in 2019.
The lyrics were written by IU.
It’s a love song dedicated to everyone going through pain or hardship.
Carried by IU’s beautiful voice, the feelings swell and it’s enough to bring you to tears.
The way the song gradually expands in scale also lets your emotions overflow.
Some say it was written for her close friend Sulli, which gives it a lot to think about—about what it means to live.
It’s a song filled with her earnest feelings, like she’s quietly staying by your side.
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.