The famous group High Five of Teenagers, better known as H.O.T, continues to be the frontrunner in the K-pop movement. They continue to inspire and influence a lot of K-pop music now. This is why they remain legendary and are considered the forefathers of Korean pop music today.
It was SM Entertainment's idea to conceptualize the band as H.O.T. Their first and formal debut dates back to the year 1996. It was then that Lee Soo Man, the founder of the team, revolutionized Korean pop music.
The image of their first released album was influenced by "Warrior's Descendant" which explains their gangster look and rap music. They then decided to change their image to a more cute look when they launched their song "Candy." This began their road to fame as it captured many young listeners. To date, their song "Candy" is still considered a K-pop anthem.
Another reason why H.O.T continues to be in the spotlight is due to their album sales. However, due to alleged financial disputes between SM Entertainment with the group, they disbanded sometime in 2001. The company claims that they only received a small percentage of the income despite that fact that the band had sold more than a million copies of their album.
There are speculations that the band is planning a reunion.