Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh are coming with a comic romance fresher than sweet potatoes.

The production team of tvN‘s new Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Potato Research Institute’ (directed by Kang Il-soo and Shim Jae-hyun, written by Kim Ho-soo) released two posters and a teaser video for the cheerful and exciting laboratory romance between the hearty ‘potato nerd (passionate fan)’ Kim Mi-kyung (played by Lee Sun-bin) and the chic ‘principled’ So Baek-ho (played by Kang Tae-oh) on the 23rd. Attention is being paid to what kind of exciting changes So Baek-ho will bring into Kim Mi-kyung’s daily life, which was nothing but potatoes.

‘Potato Research Institute’ is a healing comic romance that depicts a potato research institute where people cry and laugh because of potatoes, and a cold-hearted Baek-ho who appears in Mi-kyung‘s life, which is all about potatoes, and swirls around like a whirlwind of potatoes. Director Kang Il-soo and writer Kim Ho-soo who worked on ‘Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung’ and ‘Solomon’s Perjury’ have joined forces.


The two research institute romance posters and the research institute romance teaser video released that day stimulate curiosity about the relationship between Kim Mi-kyung and So Baek-ho, who are so different. So Baek-ho is captured with a very serious expression in a research lab piled high with potatoes. In his hands, which are flawless from head to toe, he is holding a potato, which doesn‘t suit him. The phrase ‘This man rolled into my research subject, which was only a potato’ added to Mi-kyung’s curious face holding the potato research journal makes us wonder about the changes that have come to their daily lives together with the potatoes. The sweet atmosphere of the two sitting back to back and being conscious of each other in another poster makes us look forward to the hot romance that the two will have together, roasting, frying, and boiling, against the backdrop of the potato research lab in the valley.

The teaser video for the lab romance that was unveiled together foreshadows the excitement that will pour into Kim Mi-kyung‘s daily life. Kim Mi-kyung, who was observing the potatoes, opens the door at the sound of something outside. In the meantime, So Baek-ho rolls in with the potatoes that Kim Mi-kyung loves. So Baek-ho, embarrassed by the sudden situation, adjusts his tie and smiles brightly. Kim Mi-kyung’s flushed cheeks and the narration that continues with “A comic romance fresher than sweet potatoes” ignite anticipation for their romance.


Kim Mi-kyung, a potato researcher who has fallen in love with potatoes, is a character with a frank and hearty charm who experiences dynamic changes after So Baek-ho appears. Kang Tae-oh transforms into So Baek-ho, the director of organizational innovation at Wonhan Retail whose composure is his weapon. Although he has a bright smile that reminds you of his first love, So Baek-ho is actually a man of no feelings and principles. He is a character who changes after meeting the unpredictable variable Kim Mi-kyung at the potato research center where principles do not work. Kim Mi-kyung, who is like a bulldozer, and So Baek-ho, a man of principles, growl at each other without reason. Attention is being paid to what changes the meeting between the two characters will bring to each other‘s daily lives.

‘Potato Research Institute’ will be first broadcast on March 1st at 9:20 PM.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.