"Chasing IU for Good Fortune: 'Do You Know How Many Years I've Been a Customer?' Banks in the Midst of Calendar Wars"

The Annual Shortage of Bank Calendars Driven by Belief in Financial Luck
Calendars Now Being Sold on Secondhand Trading Platforms

Woori Bank is holding an event offering calendars featuring photos of its model IU. Photo by Kwon Jaehee

"Even though we informed customers that all the calendars were out of stock, some would scold us, asking if we knew how many years they had been banking with us, and eventually, they would even take down the calendars hanging in the branch. I wonder when this calendar war will finally end."

This is the lament of a bank employee posted on a workplace community. Every year-end, commercial bank branches resemble a war zone. This phenomenon is known as the "calendar war." The surge in visitors seeking New Year's calendars is driven by the popular belief that displaying one brings financial luck.

Previously, starting from November 25, NH Nonghyup Bank distributed calendars on a first-come, first-served basis through its app "NH All One Bank." Although the bank prepared 25,000 copies, they were all claimed in less than an hour on the day of distribution.

Woori Bank, which again produced a desk calendar featuring its model, singer and actress IU, continues to receive a flood of inquiries about the calendar. Woori Financial Group signed an advertising contract with IU in 2022 and has been producing IU calendars for four consecutive years since 2023. This year as well, the bank is distributing the calendars for free to 10,000 people through its application "Woori WON Banking" as part of an ongoing event.

A post about selling bank calendars on a Korean secondhand trading platform. Photo by Kwon Jaehee

While many customers want bank calendars, the number produced has been decreasing each year. As part of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management, banks have reduced paper usage and scaled back production to cut costs. As a result, bank calendars, once easily available for free at the end of the year, have now become highly sought after.

Given this situation, banks are distributing calendars in limited quantities according to internal regulations at each branch. Even within the same bank, Branch A may prioritize main account holders or app users, while Branch B may offer calendars to customers opening new cards. Customers who still miss out sometimes purchase calendars through secondhand trading platforms, where they are actually being sold for between 5,000 and 10,000 won.

An official from a commercial bank said, "Complaints about calendars recur every year, so there are suggestions to stop producing them altogether or to distribute them only for internal use. However, once made, the calendars hang in branches all year long and have a strong promotional effect, so we cannot stop producing them."

Given the high demand, banks are maximizing promotional effects by producing calendars that reflect their corporate identity. KB Kookmin Bank created a desk calendar featuring its group character "Star Friends," illustrating scenes from literary works such as "The Little Prince" and "Hong Gildongjeon" for each month. Hana Bank, marking the 20th anniversary of Nam June Paik's passing next year, collaborated with the Nam June Paik Art Center to produce a calendar featuring 12 of the artist's works. Shinhan Bank is distributing calendars that include illustrations and its "Shinhan Friends" characters.