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
K-POP Tearjerker Ballads: Korean Songs That Will Make You Cry (51–60)
좋더라(I’M YOUNG)WINNER
WINNER is a four-member South Korean male group.
They gained attention even before their debut by appearing as Team A on a South Korean reality competition program in 2013, where they secured their debut by defeating Team B (later iKON).
Blue WhaleQWER
This work, which has garnered attention as a girls’ band effort by QWER, is a remake of a signature song by YB, a stalwart of the Korean rock scene.
The original, released in 2011, has long been loved as a masterpiece that depicts human loneliness and dialogue, using the life of whales as its motif.
In QWER’s version, they honor the original’s worldview while blending in the distinctive tones of a girls’ band.
Released as a special single in October 2025, the track surpassed 1.5 million views in just one day, and received high praise from the original songwriter, Yoon Do-hyun, who called it “a satisfying result that strikes a balance—neither too similar nor too different.” It’s a song that conveys a sincere, straight-ahead approach to a classic of rock.
Hello, GoodbyeHyorin(SISTAR)
Hyolyn is the leader of the group SISTAR, a four-member female group that was active from 2010 to 2017.
While SISTAR was very popular, Hyolyn in particular was well known for her strong vocal ability, and she has even been ranked No.
1 among idols with the best singing skills.
Time MachineGirls' Generation
Girls’ Generation is a South Korean female idol group that is very popular in Japan as well.
They debuted in 2007 and became top artists after their 2009 release “Gee” became a big hit.
While the individual members’ solo activities now stand out in addition to the group’s, they remain a popular group today.
First snowChon Juniru
The OST from Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) starring Gong Yoo.
It sings of the feelings the protagonist, played by Gong Yoo, has for the heroine.
The goblin protagonist has been waiting a long time to meet her.
He is not a person of the modern world and is under a cursed spell.
Only the heroine can break the goblin’s curse.
The fragility of a love that is anything but ordinary is what makes it a song that brings tears.
I’m a little drunkLim Jae Hyun(임재현)
Im Jaehyun is an artist who rarely shows his true face.
The song is about a man who tries to drown his sorrow over an ex-girlfriend with alcohol.
He drinks and smokes, though it seems she disliked both, so there’s a bit of lashing out in it.
As he drinks more, his consciousness grows hazy.
There’s a part in the song where he calls her name, so listen for that.
The key point is how, even while drunk, he’s overwhelmed by the pain of heartbreak.
Remember meGUMMY
This is an OST from the Korean drama Hotel Del Luna, which aired in 2019 and achieved high ratings.
The leads are IU, known as the Nation’s Little Sister, and Yeo Jin-goo.
The drama showcased the charm of its lead IU, who excels at both singing and acting.
The OST singer Kimmii (Kommi), an artist who debuted in 2003, is a powerhouse known for her wide vocal range and strong voice.
The song is written from a woman’s perspective, expressing feelings that can’t reach the man she loves—something many women who’ve struggled with love will surely relate to.
It’s heartbreakingly poignant.
BeautifulCrush
A ballad released in 2016 that is one of Crush’s signature songs.
It was repeatedly featured in memorable scenes of the drama Goblin, generating a flood of inquiries and heightening the emotional moments.
Its gentle, beautiful melody tugs at your heartstrings.
The lyrics, which convey a desperate longing to be together, are so moving that they could bring you to tears just by reading them.
If you listen to “Beautiful” when you’re reminiscing about days spent with a former lover or feeling sentimental, it might make you even more emotional.
Crush’s smooth, flowing vocal delivery is also soothing and deeply affecting.
You Were Beautiful(예뻤어)DAY6
This is a song released in 2017 by DAY6, a talented band under JYP.
With a melodic sound and lovely vocals, it paints beautiful memories.
Although it’s a breakup song, it carries a light that isn’t just sadness, wrapped in a gentle atmosphere.
Rather than lamenting or denying the past, it affirms it as “beautiful,” and that beauty brings tears to your eyes.
When it’s hard, don’t force yourself—go ahead and cry.
You Were Beautiful gently stays by your side with a brightness.
Its delicate band sound, like falling snow, will surely give you courage moving forward.
Like WaterWENDY
LIKE WATER, one of the double title tracks alongside When This Rain Stops from Wendy’s solo debut album as the main vocalist of Red Velvet.
It’s a ballad where Wendy’s vocals, as clear and permeating as pure water, are simply breathtaking.
Even when things don’t go well despite your best efforts, or you’re worn out by unfair events, the song carries a message that lets you feel the love of music, the presence of those who want to support you, and the people who stay by your side.
Together with Wendy’s expansive, gentle, and embracing vocals, it’s warm and deeply moving.
If you listen to it when you’re feeling weak, you’ll definitely end up in tears.
Please give it a listen when you want to heal a wounded heart.