A promotional image for Hana Financial Group featuring singer Lim Young-woong / Courtesy of Hana Financial Group

Major banks are stepping up celebrity-driven campaigns to attract younger customers, with their combined advertising spending surpassing 800 billion won ($541 million) for the first time last year, industry and financial officials said Wednesday.

According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service, the five major lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — together spent 813.6 billion won on advertising and promotional activities in 2025.

Their marketing budgets have shown a steady upward trend over the past five years, climbing from 551.3 billion won in 2021 to 755.2 billion won in 2022, dipping slightly to 737.9 billion won in 2023 and then rising again to 781.4 billion won in 2024. Over the 2021-2025 period, their cumulative spending reached about 3.6 trillion won.

Hana Bank topped the list, allocating about 177.8 billion won to advertising last year and maintaining its No. 1 position for the fourth consecutive year since 2022, with a lineup of high-profile endorsers including trot star Lim Young-woong, IVE member Ahn Yu-jin and former Tottenham Hotspur player Son Heung-min.

Woori Bank followed with 167.3 billion won in advertising expenses, followed by KB Kookmin with 165.3 billion won, Shinhan with 157.6 billion won and NH NongHyup with 145.8 billion won.

High-profile stars tapped by Woori Bank include BLACKPINK in 2019, IU in 2022, RIIZE in 2024 and IVE's Jang Wonyoung in 2025, as it works to modernize its brand image.

A promotional image of Woori Bank featuring IVE's Jang Won-young / Courtesy of Woori Bank

KB Kookmin Bank, meanwhile, has leaned on consistency, sustaining a rare two-decade partnership with former Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna since 2006, using her image to build enduring brand value. At the same time, it has selectively introduced newer faces such as aespa in 2021, Park Eun-bin in 2023 and rookie group Haatz to Heartz in 2025 to connect with younger audiences.

Shinhan Bank signed NewJeans in 2022 on a two-year deal targeting teens and people in their 20s. More recently, it has featured actor Park Bo-gum as its model since 2025. NH NongHyup Bank recruited actors Go Yoon-jung and Byun Yo-han in 2024.

Source: Korea Times News