A poignant, heart-touching K-pop song. A bittersweet track that resonates with many different emotions.
There are many Korean songs and K-pop tracks that stay close to those bittersweet feelings.
Whether it’s a gently sung melody or a delivery rich with emotion, they draw you deeper into the world of the song.
There are also many ballads that truly tighten your chest and make your heart ache as you listen.
Not just “sadness,” but nostalgia, memories of days that won’t return, and a tender kind of poignancy—here are some ‘setsuna’ songs that capture a range of emotions.
Please listen while reflecting on your own circumstances.
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Poignant K-pop songs that touch the heart: “Setsuna” tracks that resonate with many emotions (71–80)
Night ReminiscinLUNA
Debuting in 2009 as a sister group to Girls’ Generation and gaining popularity in Japan as well, f(x) featured Luna as the main vocalist.
Her 2018 solo track “Night Reminiscin,” a duet with fellow Korean male singer Yang Da Il, drew attention for that collaboration too.
It’s a simple piano-based ballad, yet their beautiful voices and the melody overwhelm you with a flood of emotion—even if you don’t understand the lyrics.
The inner landscape of the protagonist, who spends night after night swaying with feelings for a loved one that will likely never reach them, is profoundly lonely and sorrowful.
If you’ve had similar experiences, be careful not to empathize so deeply that it becomes painful.
On My YouthWayV
This is the self-titled lead track from WayV, a boys’ group derived from NCT, released in November 2023 as part of their second full album, On My Youth.
Everyone surely has regrets about the past.
This song is a medium-tempo, wistful dance number that invites listeners to empathize with that pain.
Lamenting what has crumbled due to mistakes and expressing a desire to return to how things were, the track resonates not only with youthful indiscretions but also reminds us that getting by with silence or telling lies won’t lead to good outcomes.
Even for a momentSon Shigyon, Naul
Singer Sung Si-kyung, who is also active as an MC on variety and music shows, released this song, “Even for a moment,” in 2023 featuring Naul from the Korean R&B group Brown Eyed Soul.
It showcases choral work where the beautiful voices of these two artists—both overwhelmingly popular as ballad singers in Korea—intertwine.
It’s an emotional ballad that powerfully yet poignantly sings of continuing to cherish a lover, even after parting with the person they loved more than anyone else.
Poignant, heart-wrenching K-pop songs. ‘Setsuna’ songs that resonate with many emotions (81–90)
365 daysGreen
Ari is gaining popularity as a talented singer with an appealing husky voice.
Her song “365 Days” expresses the emotions experienced over the 365 days after parting with a loved one.
Please take a moment to listen to this classic, beautifully delivered by the vocally gifted Ari.
You are My EverythingGUMMY
A smash-hit ballad by K.will, the queen of ballads.
It was part of the OST for the 2016 drama Descendants of the Sun.
This song, filled with the feeling of “you are my everything”—that sense that meeting you changed me and that I felt something special from the very beginning—pairs a gentle, subdued melody with K.will’s vocals, delivered as if carefully savoring each word, making it deeply moving.
The song’s atmosphere matches the drama’s scenes beautifully, too.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you feel a touch of loneliness—tinged with melancholy, but not only that.
To HeavenHuh Gak(허각)
Heo Gak, one of South Korea’s representative ballad singers known for his emotionally rich vocals, has released a remake of the classic “To Heaven” on October 16, 2024.
The original song, sung by Jo Sung-mo in 1998, is a piece Heo Gak has admired since childhood.
It’s a moving ballad themed around deep love and the sorrow of parting.
His gentle voice feels as if it’s singing, “I’m always on your side,” offering warmth and comfort through his embracing vocal style.
The song conveys the feelings and sense of loss after losing a loved one, and expresses the yearning to meet again.
It’s a track that evokes both poignancy and warmth.
It seems it was you.IVY
IVY’s “It Was You” was used as an OST for “The Goddess of Money.” It’s a song that conveys the strength—and the beauty—of continuing to think of someone you love, even through hardship and pain.
IVY’s straightforward vocals are cleansing to the heart.