KPOP 1st generation · SM Entertainment
H.O.T.
エイチオーティー / 에이치오티
H.O.T. invented the shape of everything that followed: the fandom, the teenage audience, and songs that argued with adults.
- 1996DebutSep 7, 1996
- 5Members
- 1thGeneration
- Club H.O.T.Fandom
Last updated:
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In 30 seconds: H.O.T.
Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta and Lee Jae-won were the first Korean idol group to be treated as a national phenomenon.
Start here if you want the actual beginning rather than a later reconstruction of it.
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Key facts
- Group name
- H.O.T.
- Reading / Hangul
- エイチオーティー / 에이치오티
- Company
- SM Entertainment
- Debut date
- September 7, 1996
- Days active
- 1,577 days (4 years, 3 months)
- Final activity date
- 2001
- Debut song
- Warrior's Descendant
- Generation
- 1st generation
- Fandom name
- Club H.O.T.(クラブエイチオーティー)
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Member guide
Profile comparison
| Members | Birth date | Blood type | MBTI | Nationality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ムン・ヒジュン | 1978-03-14 | 48 | 173cm | B | Not disclosed | South Korea |
| チャン・ウヒョク | 1978-05-08 | 48 | 176cm | O | Not disclosed | South Korea |
| トニー・アン | 1978-06-07 | 48 | 175cm | O | Not disclosed | South Korea |
| カンタ | 1979-10-10 | 47 | 178cm | B | Not disclosed | South Korea |
| イ・ジェウォン | 1980-04-05 | 46 | 184cm | A | Not disclosed | South Korea |
Ages are as of 2026-10-31.
Selected releases
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Start here
Follow a few songs from the starting point to the group's current sound.
Forever 2001 Live Concert (Live)
Candy MVCandy is the friendliest way in and the song most people still know.
We Are the Future MVWe Are the Future is the hard one, and the period it came from is audible in every bar.
Hope MVHope is the song that fans sing back, and it explains the reunion better than any account of it.05
From debut to now
- 1996Appearing from SM Entertainment as a 5-member act, they drew attention with a debut song that led with teenage anger and social messages.
- 1997Candy widened their mass popularity, while We Are the Future stamped in hard dancing and the stage image of the first generation.
- 1998Hope survives as the symbolic song sung together with fans, an entry point into the warm side of H.O.T. and its concert culture.
- 1999I Yah! continued the strongly message-driven expression, revealing a harder side of H.O.T. beyond Candy.
- 2000Following through to Outside Castle reveals the album-by-album change from debut to the later years.
- 2001After activity ended, separate routes opened up through Kangta's solo work and the later projects of Jang Woo-hyuk and Tony An.
- 2018The reunion stage made the fandom of that era and the influence on later K-pop easier to see all over again.
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Achievements
Key milestones
Verified information
Verified English information is not yet available for this section.
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Official links
Official site
Official social accounts and platforms
Shopping guide
Verified English shopping links are not yet available.
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KPOP DISCOVER's H.O.T. note
H.O.T. turn on being the origin point of K-pop idol culture and the blueprint for SM boy groups. Sent out by SM Entertainment in 1996 as the leading act of the first generation, Moon Hee-jun, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta and Lee Jae-won spread teen culture, fandom and social messaging all at once.
Entry points are Candy, We Are the Future and Hope. Candy is the approachable signature track, We Are the Future brings hard dancing and the feel of the era, and Hope moves into the concert context of singing with fans, which together give the whole picture. Taking in the message of I Yah! shows the harder side as well.
Rather than a merely nostalgic first-generation act, they invite comparison of the structure that runs on to TVXQ!, Super Junior, SHINee and NCT, the split between rap, vocals and dance, and the prototype of fandom operation. The reunion stage in 2018 made the influence on later K-pop visible once more. Candy, We Are the Future, Hope is the order to start with.
Editors' take Candy / We Are the Future / Hope — a first-generation 5-piece whose origin point for idol culture and blueprint for SM boys come through in three songs.
Trivia worth knowing
Entry point
Beyond Candy, lining up Warrior's Descendant, We Are the Future and Hope shows the three faces of brightness, message and dance.
Roles
Moon Hee-joon led, Jang Woo-hyuk handled the dancing, Tony An the English and rap, Kangta the singing, and Lee Jae-won rapped as the youngest.
SM history
Tracing the SM boy-group line through TVXQ!, Super Junior, SHINee and NCT, H.O.T. is the reference point to place first.
Videos
Some older music videos were reuploaded later by SMTOWN, so the upload date and the original release period are worth reading separately.
Fandom
The supporter culture around Club H.O.T. is essential context for how first-generation fan clubs were run.
Comparison
Set beside Sechs Kies and Shinhwa, the rivalries, long careers and reunions of the first generation come into view.
Frequently asked questions
What defines H.O.T.?
Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta and Lee Jae-won were the first Korean idol group to be treated as a national phenomenon.
Why should a new listener start with H.O.T.?
Start here if you want the actual beginning rather than a later reconstruction of it.
Which songs should a new listener try first?
Start with Candy, We Are the Future, Hope, then continue to the official video index.