H.O.T. (; pronounced "H. O. T.", acronym for Highfive Of Teenagers) was a South Korean boy band that was created by SM Entertainment in 1996. They are considered to be the first K-pop idol group and their successful formula became the model for many K-pop groups that followed them. The group consisted of five members: Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony Ahn, Kangta, and Lee Jae-won. H.O.T. sold over 6.4 million records in South Korea during their career. They were also commercially successful in China and Japan, and were among the first stars of the Korean Wave in Asia. The group broke up in 2001 following a contract disagreement with SM Entertainment, prompting hundreds of fans to stage protests against the company. Formation H.O.T. was formed in 1996 by record producer Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment. Lee had polled high school students to find out what their ideal pop group would be like, and he used this information to create H.O.T. The first member to join the group was Kangta, who Lee discovered at an amusement park. Next to join were friends and singing partners Moon Hee-joon and Lee Jae-won. The fourth to join was Jang Woo-hyuk who attracted Lee's attention after winning first place in a dance contest. Finally, Tony Ahn joined the group after auditioning for Lee in Los Angeles. History 1996–97: Debut and breakthrough H.O.T. debuted in September 1996 with the album We Hate All Kinds of Violence, which was a success, selling 1.5 million copies. Their first single, "Descendants of Warriors," was a critique of schoolyard bullying, while their second single, "Candy", was a cheerful bubblegum pop song that established H.O.T.'s popularity, especially among teenage girls. That year, H.O.T. won Best New Artist at the Golden Disc Awards. In July 1997, H.O.T. released their second album, Wolf and Sheep, which sold 1 million copies in ten days. The album included the singles "Wolf and Sheep," "Happiness," and "We Are the Future," the first of which was banned from airplay due to its use of strong language. Nonetheless, the album was both commercially and critically successful, winning the Grand Prize at both the 1997 Golden Disc Awards and the 1997 Seoul Music Awards. Additionally, "We Are the Future" was nominated for an International Viewer's Choice Award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. By this time, H.O.T. had become a "social sensation" in South Korea, and