10 Heart-Wrenching K-Dramas That Had Us Break Down Crying

Warning: this article contains spoilers for all the shows mentioned.Well known for their clever blend of genres in each series, K-dramas have it all, from silly humor to poignant and tragic moments that can bring tears to the eyes of any viewer. The most heart-wrenching K-dramas include shows that are inherently heartbreaking and tragic but also series that take a surprisingly dark turn at the end. This may happen due to the death of beloved characters, doomed couples that do not get the happy ending they deserve, unexpected misfortunes, and heartrending sacrifices.

K-dramas are often thought-provoking regardless of their genre. That said, my favorite K-dramas are usually the ones with realistic character arcs and growth, impactful stories, and major twists, all of which can leave us all crying when done right. There is an abundance of masterpiece K-dramas that are guaranteed to make audiences weep, but some are even more heartbreaking than others.

10 Hospital Playlist

Released In 2020

Hospital Playlist is a wholesome slice-of-life medical K-drama that follows five friends who became friends during medical school and work as doctors at the Yulje Medical Center. While Hospital Playlist isn't the typical tear-inducing K-drama series, the show's effortless blend of sweet friendships with drama and tragedy provides audiences with a compelling portrayal of the joys of life and the sorrow of death.

Hospital Playlist has a vast range of harrowing and stressful medical cases that are balanced out with heartwarming and poignant moments.

The banter between the close-knit group of friends and their regular band practices is contrasted by the harsh reality of working in the medical field and the toll that illnesses take on the patients and their families. Hospital Playlist has a vast range of harrowing and stressful medical cases that are balanced out with heartwarming and poignant moments. Hospital Playlist often made me cry from both laughter and sadness.

9 I'm Not A Robot

Released In 2017

I'm Not a Robot is a K-drama with a bizarre premise and surprisingly heartfelt moments and emotional depth. It revolves around Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho), a wealthy chairman of a company who has a severe life-threatening allergy to physical human contact, and Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin), a brilliant inventor who is forced to pose as the robot Aji 3 around Min-kyu due to a series of mishaps.

Despite the deception, Min-kyu and Ji-ah form a deep bond and fall in love with each other against the backdrop of corporate espionage and miscommunication. The leads deal with hardships like familial conflicts, loneliness and isolation, grief, heartbreak, and betrayal. Chae and Kim's impeccable acting elevates each scene they have in I'm Not a Robot and makes each emotional moment believable. I'm Not a Robot's profound depiction of human connection and loneliness makes it an incredible K-drama that will bring you to tears.

8 Prison Playbook

Released In 2017

The black comedy K-drama series Prison Playbook is an exploration of the lives of convicts and staff in prison and its impact on them and their loved ones.Prison Playbook follows the famous talented baseball star Kim Je-hyuk (Park Hae-soo) after he is sent to prison for attacking the man who was attempting to sexually assault his sister. With a bleak premise and setting, it is no surprise that Prison Playbook is filled with tragic moments.

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The thought-provoking K-drama Prison Playbook features a large cast of incredible characters with intriguing and tragic backstories. Je-hyuk is forced to adjust to his changed life in prison and bonds with his fellow inmates, whose circumstances led to bad decisions that spiraled out of control. While this unusual mixture of comedy and drama is filled with lighthearted and humorous moments, Prison Playbook's tragic characters and premise lead to many tearful moments.

7 Guardian: The Lonely And Great God

Released In 2016

Guardian: The Lonely And Great God is a fantasy romance K-drama series with a tragically doomed and beautiful couple. The K-drama revolves around Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a military general who is cursed to become an immortal goblin who can only rest once the Goblin's bride removes the sword in his chest and ends his immortal life. The bright and bubbly Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) is the Goblin's bride, and she is forced to accept her destiny and duty as she falls in love with Shin.

The underlying tension and sadness between Shin and Eun-tak's relationship paints each of their interactions with a tragic undertone. Audiences go into the K-drama knowing that the immortal Goblin is destined to die at the hands of his bride Eun-tak. Goblin's torment as an immortal being and Eun-tak's conflict over her duty and love make for a beautiful yet sad story.

6 A Thousand Days' Promise

Released In 2011

A melodramatic romance K-drama, A Thousand Days' Promise is about a loving couple and family whose lives are turned upside down. Lee Seo-yeon (Soo Ae) and Park Ji-hyung (Kim Rae-won) have a turbulent start to their relationship, and the couple's struggles only worsen after Seo-yeon is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.

A Thousand Days' Promise's most gut-wrenching moment is when the happy family receives a tragic reality check about the realities of Alzheimer's when Seo-yeon is unable to recognize their baby daughter.

The shocking and distressing diagnosis irrevocably changes Seo-yeon and Ji-hyung's life, as Seo-yeon slowly loses her memories of her past and her loved ones. Witnessing Ji-hyung's dedication to his wife as she struggles to deal with her Alzheimer's is heartwarming and sweet. However, Seo-yeon's loss of memories throughout the show is devastating. A Thousand Days' Promise's most gut-wrenching moment is when the happy family receives a tragic reality check about the realities of Alzheimer's when Seo-yeon is unable to recognize their baby daughter.

5 Hymn Of Death

Released In 2018

Hymn of Death is a historical romance TV show based on true events, making its story even more devasting. It follows the deeply emotional and sorrowful romance between Korea's first professional soprano singer Yun Sim-deok (Shin Hye-sun) and the talented playwright and poet Kim Woo-jin (Lee Jong-suk). A bingeworthy K-drama, Hymn of Death is a stunning and gripping melodramatic series.

History fans who know the tragic tale of Sim-deok and Woo-jin are aware of their heartbreaking fate. However, the K-drama is still an enthralling and beautiful show that makes it impossible not to shed tears. The couple's struggles and their unfortunate ending are guaranteed to leave audiences in tears. Hymn of Death is made even more heartbreaking by the fact that it's based on a real couple.

4 Move To Heaven

Released In 2021

Move to Heaven is a profound K-drama series revolving around death and grief. The K-drama follows a young man with Asperger's, Han Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang), and his ex-convict uncle Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon). The estranged family members meet after Geu-ru's father suddenly dies, and the two join the titular trauma cleaning company to clean the homes of the recently deceased and pack their belongings to make the grieving process easier for their loved ones.

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Gue-ru and Sang-gu's job as trauma cleaners leads to them learning about the recently deceased through their belongings. Each episode of Move to Heavenrevolves around a different deceased person, their struggles, and their grieving families. Move to Heaven's depiction of life, death, and grief is a moving and deeply emotional examination of the heartbreaking yet inspiring nature of life and death.

3 Mother

Released In 2018

Mother is a remake of the 2010 Japanese TV series of the same title. It follows a temporary teacher at an elementary school Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) who learns that one of her students, Kim Hye-na (Heo Yool) is being abused at home by her mother. Soo-jin makes the drastic choice to kidnap the young girl and becomes her adopted mother as the two go on the run. The seriesis a beautiful exploration of motherhood and maternal love and discusses serious topics like child abuse.

Heo's heartbreaking and endearing performance as a young girl who is abused by her biological mother (Ko Sung-hee) and Lee's depiction of a teacher and loving mother with a traumatic past are the highlights of the show. Mother's heartwarming positive moments and deeply sad and emotional moments make it difficult not to cry watching the show.

2 The Light In Your Eyes

Released In 2019

The Light in Your Eyes is a unique melodramatic K-drama with one of the best heartbreaking plot twists in history. The show follows Kim Hye-ja (Han Ji-min), a young woman who can manipulate time and go into the past using a watch she found as a child. However, the watch and time-traveling power have a cost. Each time Hye-ja uses the watch she drastically ages. After manipulating time with the watch, Hye-ja becomes an old lady.

Hye-ja struggles to adjust to her new life, and The Light in Your Eyes explores life and teaches audiences to stop living in the past and enjoy the present. The jaw-dropping reveal that there is no magical watch that manipulates time and that Hye-ja is actually an elderly woman with Alzheimer's disease is emotionally devastating and makes The Light in Your Eyes one of the most profoundly beautiful K-dramas to exist.

1 Stairway To Heaven

Released In 2003

Stairway to Heaven is a melodramatic tragedy with an amazing lead couple. The K-drama follows the childhood friends turned lovers Han Jung-suh (Choi Ji-woo) and Cha Song-joo (Kwon Sang-woo). Jung-suh and Song-joo bond over the loss of their loved ones, and the two overcome countless hurdles and fight for their relationship. After years of tragic circumstances and manipulations tearing the two apart, the couple is finally happy together, until tragedy strikes again and Jung-suh is diagnosed with eye cancer.

Stairway to Heaven is an emotional rollercoaster filled with betrayal, malicious plots, and even the divisive amnesia trope. From grieving over dead family members to dealing with the knowledge that Jung-suh has the same incurable illness that killed her mother, Stairway to Heaven is a tragic love story that will make everyone cry, even if those who are already familiar with heartbreaking K-dramas.

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