Top Stars Command Record Fees as Banks' Ad Spending Tops 800 Billion Won

The advertising budgets of South Korea's five major commercial banks surpassed 800 billion won last year, marking a new record and highlighting the intense competition in the financial sector. This surge in spending is directly fueling the rise in advertising fees for top celebrities. Financial institutions are increasingly leveraging the star power of prominent figures to enhance their brand visibility and appeal to a wider audience. KB Financial, for instance, continues its partnerships with sports star Kim Yuna and actress Park Eun-bin, with industry estimates placing Kim Yuna's fee at over 1 billion won per endorsement and Park Eun-bin's annual earnings at around 700 million won. Even emerging girl groups like Hearts2Hearts are reportedly valued at over 350 million won annually for their endorsements. NH Nonghyup Bank has recently enlisted director Jang Hang-jun and writer Kim Eun-hee as new models. Actor Byun Woo-seok's value has significantly increased post-hit projects, now commanding approximately 1 billion won annually, with actor Park Ji-hoon also seeing a surge in his advertising fees. Broadcaster Kian84 has also joined as a new model. Hana Bank led the spending, allocating 177.6 billion won to advertising last year. Their extensive roster includes football star Son Heung-min, Ive's An Yu-jin, singer Lim Young-woong, broadcaster Kang Ho-dong, and singer G-Dragon. The industry particularly recognizes G-Dragon's annual advertising fees as the highest. An Yu-jin is reported to earn around 700 million won annually. Woori Bank invested 167.3 billion won in advertising, featuring singer IU and Ive's Jang Won-young as models. Shinhan Bank spent 157.6 billion won, with actor Park Bo-gum, whose advertising fee is estimated at 1.2 billion won, serving as their model. NH Nonghyup Bank's advertising expenditure was recorded at 145.8 billion won.

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G-Dragon's annual advertising fees are considered the highest in the industry.