The Potato Lab cast and character: The Potato Lab cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the latest K-drama?

tvN’s The Potato Lab is one of those K-dramas that excel in portraying the enemies-to-lovers trope beautifully.

The series narrates the story of how the potato researcher Kim Mi-kyung and Wonhan Retail’s chief, So Baek-ho, find themselves gradually falling for each other amid tension due to their jobs.

Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh portray the leads in the K-drama, which will entertain you with the many arguments between the lead couple while also depicting a story set in the mountains, giving an otherworldly backdrop.

In addition to Sun-bin and Tae-ho, the series boasts a strong ensemble cast that contributed to its success upon the early 2025 release.

Let’s explore more about the cast and characters of The Potato Lab.

The Potato Lab cast and character guide

The Potato Lab follows the story of how Mi-kyung suffers due to Baek-ho’s interference in her research work, which ultimately gets her fired.

However, the series delivers more than just professional competition and failures, as it also portrays how Baek-ho falls for Mi-kyung and tries to stand up to the mistakes that he has been making since he came to inspect the Potato lab.

1) Lee Sun-bin as Kim Mi-kyung

Sun-bin plays Mi-kyung in the Korean series. She is described as a potato researcher who is too passionate about her job.

In her personal life, Mi-kyung has been carrying a huge burden of a failed previous relationship that has been traumatising her in the present.

The South Korean actress has also appeared in another popular series, Criminal Minds, which is based on the American show with the same name.

2) Kang Tae-oh as So Baek-ho

Tae-oh’s Baek-ho is the apathetic and reserved chief of Wonhan Retail, who comes to the valley to oversee Mi-kyung’s research lab, and ends up making some harmful decisions that threaten her job.

However, the series also portrays Baek-ho’s changing personality after he meets and gets to know Mi-kyung more, and tries to compensate for the wrong decisions.

Kang Tae-ho is one of the popular names in the South Korean Entertainment industry and is known for portraying Lee Jun-ho in the acclaimed K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Apart from that, he has also appeared in Doom at Your Service and The Tale of Nokdu, among numerous others.

3) Lee Hak-joo as Park Ki-se

Hak-joo’s Ki-se is the executive director of the company that manages Mi-kyung's lab and is also her ex-boyfriend. He is the one who is shown to have not treated Mi-kyung well when they were together. However, Ki-se’s story also depicts many ups and downs in his life, which change him as a person.

A fan-favorite actor, Hak-joo, has appeared in numerous popular series such as My Dearest, Mr. Sunshine, and is also currently appearing in Netflix’s Beyond the Bar.

4) Kim Ga-eun as Lee Ong-ju

Ga-eun’s Ong-ju, a web novel writer, is one of the biggest supporters of the Mi-kyung-Baek-ho ship, and also her best friend. She is also interested in Mi-kyung’s brother but resists confessing her feelings.

From Under the Queen's Umbrella, On the Verge of Insanity, to King the Land, the 36-year-old actress has appeared in numerous Korean TV shows.