Leading characters in K-dramas are supposed to be the star of the show with the most screen time. However, there are quite a few exceptions.
When it comes to major characters, the audience would immediately think of central characters with the most interesting stories and traits. However, sometimes “major” is just a title, and these supposedly main characters are completely outshined.
Lee Min Ho
In "Pachinko," Lee Min Ho played a "bad guy" who tricked the female lead into a relationship with him even though he was already married.
This shows that Lee Min Ho is more than just a one-trick pony. Also, "Pachinko" is one of the few times Lee Min Ho has a short stint of being poor.
But Lee Min Ho's character in "Pachinko" might as well be a very small one, even though he is advertised as a major cast member and is on every poster and teaser for the show.
In fact, his only job is to upend the life of the female lead, have his past come out, and then disappear without making much of an impression.
Cha Seung Won
Cha Seung Won's face is clearly shown on every poster for "Our Blues," which shows that he is one of the main actors.
Cha Seung Won's character, on the other hand, was only in the first three episodes and the last few minutes of the last one.
Even though "Our Blues" is written in an omnibus style and tells several stories instead of just one, other characters still show up in plots that aren't about them, but Cha Seung Won just disappears.
Korean netizens say this is a huge shame because Cha Seung Won's character is interesting and gripping, and the actor gives an excellent performance.
Park Shin Hye
Not many people remember that Park Shin Hye was Hyun Bin's on-screen partner in "Memories of Alhambra". The reason is that she has much less screen time than Hyun Bin, and her story isn't as interesting.
This K-drama is mostly about the male lead's journey into a mysterious game, and a lot of the time is spent trying to figure out how to fix the game's problems.
Even though Park Shin Hye is the main character, her character has nothing to do with this whole plot.
So, Park Shin Hye didn't add much to the story, and it was said that she was only there for the love story. Some netizens even said that Park Shin Hye's character was the "most useless female lead in a K-drama".
Park Ha Sun
"The Veil," which stars the well-known actor Nam Goong Min, is a very intense, dark show with a lot of interesting characters.
But the main character, played by actress Park Ha Sun, was in the film series even less than the second main character.
On top of that, she died in episode 6 as a plot point for the second half of the show, which shocked viewers who were surprised that a female lead could die so quickly.
There's no question about how important Park Ha Sun's character is to the male lead. But this character is written so boringly and has so little screen time that she is easy to forget.
Source[1]
