K-pop and Korean songs that deeply resonate when you're sad

little monsterILLIT

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ILLIT, who debuted in March 2024 after a survival show and immediately swept 12 music show trophies, present the opening track of their 3rd mini album, “bomb.” The album unfolds a unique world where the anxieties and worries in one’s heart are eaten up as “monsters.” Set to a light, synth-pop sound, it delivers a wonderful, positive message about embracing yourself wholly.

It gives you a curious kind of courage that makes even your weaknesses feel lovable.

It’s the kind of song that will lift a weight off your heart when you want to reset your mood and take a fresh step forward!

Like a Movie2PM

2PM – Like a Movie, 투피엠 – 영화처럼, Music Core 20110625

This is a song by 2PM, a six-member South Korean male idol group.

As the title suggests, “Like a Movie” features lyrics set around reimagining memories with a once-happy lover as if they were scenes from a film.

While watching the two happy people on the screen, the narrator longs for her to come back to him—a bittersweet, heartrending track.

No matter how many times we break upKim Hee-sun

김희선(Kim Hee Sun) – 몇번을 헤어져도

This is a song used as an insert track in the Korean drama “Sad Love Story.” Its lyrics follow the show’s very poignant plot—parting from a childhood friend who shares mutual feelings, a love triangle with a friend, and the death of a lover after they are reunited—so if you listen after watching the drama, it’s a song that can bring you to tears on its own.

The singer, Kim Hee-sun, is one of Korea’s leading popular actresses; in this drama she plays a blind protagonist, and within the story she becomes a singer and performs this song.

I hate you.Jeongin

Jung In – I hate you, 정인 – 미워요, Beautiful Concert 20120619

Jongin’s “미워요” means “I hate you,” and as the title suggests, it’s a sad song that resonates with a deep feeling toward a lover—loving so much that it turns into hate.

The piano accompaniment is striking, and he delivers it tenderly with a husky voice.

Monodrama (Monodurama)허각 with 유승우

Huh Gak 허각 모노드라마 Monodrama With Yoo Seung Woo 유승우

Originally a ventilation fan repairman, Huh Gak—whose outstanding vocals led him to win the audition program Superstar K2, beating odds of 1 in 1,340,000—and the young musician Yoo Seung Woo released Monodrama, a song that expresses the feeling of still being in love even while knowing that reconciliation with a lover is no longer possible.

Counting DaysUrban Zakapa

[MV] URBAN ZAKAPA(어반자카파) _ Counting Days(열 손가락)

A song by Urban Zakapa that gently gives voice to bittersweet feelings.

You can clearly feel the emotions of someone who has gone through a breakup.

Counting the days that have been lost while facing the memories—the lyrics portray that state of mind with delicate nuance, and they really hit home.

Released in June 2024, this is a milestone track marking the group’s first return in full form in three years.

Its soft melody, infused with R&B elements, further heightens the sense of longing.

It’s a song that quietly stays by your side on lonely nights after losing someone dear.

Please (Korean slang: Jebal/제발)Lee Sora

이소라 4집 – 제발

Lee Sora’s “제발” means “Please,” and the song expresses a plea for a lover to come back and not go far away.

Characterized by a voice reminiscent of an opera singer, it intertwines with a heartrending melody to create a track that tightens the chest.