This article contains discussions of suicide, miscarriage, child death, and abuse.
Summary
- K-dramas often use impactful deaths to evoke strong emotional reactions, incorporating themes of love, fear, and loss.
- Characters like Yoon Soo-wan, Ji-yeong, and Cha Moo-hyuk meet tragic ends, leaving lasting heartbreaks.
- These heartbreaking deaths in K-dramas, like in Now, We Are Breaking Up, Squid Game, and I'm Sorry, I Love You, showcase the deep emotional connections between characters in moments that can be extremely tragic.
K-dramas offer some of the most devastating and tragic deaths that won't leave a dry eye in the audience. In recent years, Korean media has gained a large international following, especially K-dramas. The genre of K-drama includes a number of different subgenres including action, rom-com, horror, and historical dramas. Some K-dramas have become instant hits, whereas others have slowly become popular. These shows carry universal themes like love, fear, and loss. By relying on these themes, K-dramas can bring about large emotional reactions.
In addition to universal themes, K-dramas frequently use the soul-stirring element of impactful deaths. These shows have a knack for making a character lovable and then yanking them away at the most impactful time. Though some K-drama plot twists can feel like a betrayal at the moment, they help push their storylines in a direction that feels earned and complete. Here are some of the saddest, most tragic K-drama deaths.
10 Yoon Soo-wan in Now, We Are Breaking Up
On the way to meet up with Ha Yeong-eun, Yoon Soo-wan dies in a tragic car accident in Now, We Are Breaking Up. This ends their sweet, star-crossed romance, causing lasting heartbreak. Unfortunately, because Soo-wan never shows up, Yeong-eun spends decades believing that her true love abandoned her, causing her to close off her feelings to any love interests. While Yeong-eun not knowing what happened to Soo-wan is one of the many K-drama plots that don’t make sense, it doesn’t change how tragic and emotional Soo-wan’s death is.
9 Ji-yeong In Squid Game
Ji-yeong should never have ended up in prison, let alone in the 33rd Squid Game. After her father abused her and killed her mother, Ji-yeong killed her father. She was arrested, and after she left prison, there was nothing left for the character. Sadly, Ji-yeong s Squid Game without the motivation to win because she’s hopeless about having any life outside of prison. This makes it all the more devastating and emotional when she sacrifices herself during Marbles to save Sae-byeok in Squid Game, season 1, episode 6, “Gbangu.” Ji-yeong never gets a better life than the one she grew up with.
8 Cha Moo-hyuk in I’m Sorry, I Love You
After an attempted assassination, Cha Moo-hyuk learns he’ll likely only live one more year due to the bullet lodged in his brain. When he seeks out his birth parents, he learns his birth mom and brother Choi Yoon are famous and well-off. When Yoon gets into a car accident, he learns that he’ll die without a heart transplant. In order to save Yoon, Cha Moo-hyuk dies by suicide in a motorcycle crash. This death in I’m Sorry, I Love You tragically highlighted the issues in the medical system that prevent people from getting the care they need.
7 Cha Yu-ri in Hi Bye, Mama!
The K-drama Hi Bye, Mama! centers on the devastating death of Cha Yu-ri. A car hits Yu-ri when she’s nine months pregnant, causing her death. Luckily, her daughter, Cho Seo-woo, survives. Rather than moving on, Yu-ri becomes a ghost for five years, forced to watch her daughter and husband live on without her. She is given a second chance at life with her family, with Seo-woo, but it requires her to ruin her husband’s happiness. The idea of a mother watching her child live on without her is tragic.
6 Ji Eun-tak in Goblin
In the show Goblin, Ji Eun-tak gives Kim Shin a meaningful speech when she learns that she’s dying. This speech is downright heartbreaking with Eun-tak telling Shin that he must continue living without her. She tells him to laugh, cry, be strong, feel love, and – above all else – wait for her. The expressions on both Shin and Eun-tak’s faces show just how in love and heartbroken they are. This makes Eun-tak’s death in Goblin one of the most devastating and tragic deaths of all K-dramas.
5 Gu Seung-Joon in Crash Landing On You
Though he starts out as a bad boy to root against, Gu Seung-joon’s death is heartbreaking by the time he dies in Crash Landing on You. He becomes sensitive, deep, and comionate. Ultimately, Seung-joon gets shot in order to save his true love Seo Dan from criminals. In his last breaths, she begs him to stay with her. They reminisce together about their time eating ramen together. Then, Seung-joon falls unconscious and dies. This interaction in Crash Landing On You pulls at the heartstrings, reminding viewers that their relationship means something to both individuals.
4 Kim Mi-young’s Baby in You Are My Destiny
Tragedy strikes in You Are My Destiny when Kim Mi-young gets hit by a car. In surgery, they can only save Mi-young or her unborn child, the latter of which the mother desperately wants to save. Her ex, Gun, decides to save Mi-young, knowing she wouldn’t want this. When Mi-young learns about his decision, she becomes distraught and faints from all the stress. Despite the heartbreak, Mi-young still asks if she and Gun can stay together; however, he refuses, adding insult to injury.
3 Court Lady Oh Soo-yun in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
When it comes to the saddest K-drama shows, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo ranks high on the list. The show includes a high number of deaths, but Court Lady Oh Soo-yun is perhaps the most tragic death of them all. This character shows comion, love, and thoughtfulness at every turn. In order to save Hae-soo, Court Lady Oh falsely its to poisoning the Crown Prince. Hae-soo begs the monarchy for mercy, asserting that Court Lady Oh is innocent. This makes it all the more tragic when they execute her in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
2 Jang Han-seo in Vincenzo
Vincenzo is another K-drama where many people die; however, Jang Han-seo’s death hit harder than any other loss in the series. Though he does multiple questionable things, Han-seo shows that he has a conscience on multiple occasions. He’s also the victim of manipulation, gaslighting, and abuse. Given his past, it would likely feel satisfying for him to get a redemption arc. Unfortunately, this finally occurred when he died a noble death to protect the eponymous character. By killing him at that time, Han-seo never got the chance to find a better, happier life.
1 Min Eun-ji in All of Us Are Dead
Min Eun-ji’s story in All of Us Are Dead results in a tragic death that seems extremely cruel given everything she went through. Eun-ji survives extreme bullying and plans to die by suicide; luckily, she overcomes this at the start of the zombie outbreak. Later, she gets bitten by a zombie, transforming into a halfbie. Even after this happens, she manages to survive. Jae-ik accidentally hits Eun-ji with a bus, but again she makes it through. All of these incidents make her one of the strongest survivors in K-drama. Sadly, All of Us Are Dead ruins this by seemingly making the government experimenters kill her.