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 ballads that are sure to make you cry: Korean tearjerker songs (41–50)
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.
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.
Tomorrow will come.TVXQ (also known as Tohoshinki; literally “Rising Gods of the East”)
He is a male artist who could be called the pioneer of K-pop in Japan.
From 2003 to 2010, they performed as a five-member group, but they are now a male duo, and they remain popular enough to rank on Japanese music charts even today.
Remember MeKYUHYUN
Speaking of Kyuhyun, the youngest (maknae) of Super Junior under SM Entertainment, he’s renowned for his outstanding vocals even among K-pop idols.
This track is a poignant love song from his 2015 solo release, “Again, When the Fall Comes – The 2nd Mini Album.” No one dates with a breakup in mind, yet we inevitably go through such experiences.
The heartrending feelings of a man trying, with a fragile heart, to let go of the woman he still loves will move you to tears.
Loving someone, yet not being able to make it work—that’s just too painful!
Somebody NewSUPER JUNIOR
It’s a medium-tempo ballad included on the 2019 album “Time Slip.” Starting with a verse that feels like it carefully traces each step, the warm, swelling chorus really hits home.
The song reflects the bond of members who have walked forward together one step at a time, overflowing with Super Junior’s signature heartwarming wish to keep walking alongside their cherished friends.
Watching the music video draws you in even more and can bring you to tears.
There’s also a part that tells you to be yourself, just the way you are, making it a great source of encouragement when you’re struggling or feeling down.
Star민서/MINSEO
The OST from the drama Doctor John starring Ji Sung.
A tearful song about boundless love for a lover one can no longer meet.
Since the drama is a medical series, it can be taken as focusing on people at the end of their lives.
Those who suddenly have to say goodbye due to illness or accidents.
This song expresses the feelings of the ones leaving this world.
You’ll likely be moved to tears by its message: though unseen, I’m always watching over you.
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.