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)
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.
Untitled (2014)G-DRAGON
A ballad released by G-DRAGON in 2017.
With Jiyong’s uniquely artistic expression and human sensitivity, it’s often cited as a quintessential heartbreak song.
You can really feel the aching desire to meet again even though it’s no longer possible—the wish for the other person’s happiness, yet, if at all possible, the longing to meet and talk once more.
Wanting to get it back even at the cost of losing everything might be proof of just how special it was.
And yet, Jiyong’s kindness and generosity in wishing for the other person’s happiness overflow throughout, making it a truly tear-jerking, must-cry track.
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.
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.
Tearjerker K-pop Ballads: Korean Songs That Will Make You Cry (61–70)
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.
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.
Every nightEXID
A signature song by EXID, the popular Korean girl group, whose wistful melody and the members’ beautiful harmonies resonate deeply.
Released in October 2012, this track delicately captures the pain of heartbreak and lingering attachment.
The loneliness that grows night after night and the complex feelings toward a past love press upon the listener’s heart.
LE’s newly written rap part is rhythmic yet suffused with melancholy.
This work will stand by everyone troubled by love and offer comfort.
It’s a medium-tempo tune brimming with mature allure, where acoustic tones blend with EXID’s bewitching charm.