The 2025 Hanteo Music Festival delivered its share of disappointments this year, as it was originally poised to be held months ago. The South Korean multi-artist concert was ultimately postponed to this week. Organised by Hanteo Global, this year’s musical festivities were to be held at the Inspire Arena on November 22-23, 2025 from 5:30 pm KST (2 pm IST) onwards.
Iconic first-generation K-pop group H.O.T–still loved for their old hits like “Candy,” Happiness” and “We are the Future”–is slated to headline both days of the Hanteo Music Festival 2025. It not only comes hot on the heels of the act’s 29th debut anniversary, but also marks their first-ever full-fledged reunion in six years. Indisputably, the five-member act will be performing the longest set over the festival’s course, presenting over 13 songs, including group and solo tracks.
Ironically, SM Entertainment’s legendary boy group H.O.T’s name stands for ‘Highfive of Teenagers.’ However, the group members haven’t been teens in a long while.
Widely regarded as the first K-pop “idol” group, the quintet featuring Jaewon, Tony, Heejun, Kangta and Woohyuk debuted in 1996–the following year SM Entertainment was founded. In the years since then, the music act has long positioned itself as an exemplary model for many others who came after it.
Of the quintet, only Kangta is still signed on as an SM Entertainment artist. As one of the longest-standing singer of the company, he renewed his contract with SM merely months ago. Although H.O.T. as a unit broke up in 2001 over contract issues, several younger groups have playing their part in honouring the group’s legacy alive. On their part, the group members have come back to share the stage and variety outings quite a few times since then.
Their last full-group performance was in September 2019 at the Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome. Fortunately for the OG K-pop group’s fans, the quintet is finally reunited for the first time after over 6 years. And so, this week’s historic H.O.T. reunion is undoubtedly for the books.
2025 Hanteo Music Festival lineup
- Day 1: H.O.T., tripleS, fromis_9 and TEEN TOP
- Day 2: H.O.T., OHMYGIRL, MAMAMOO’s Solar, 2AM and IDNTT
2025 Hanteo Music Festival Day 1
In addition to presenting their own songs, the girl group also performed several random dance challenges at the Hanteo Music Festival.
Their set list for the same included members dancing to hit tracks of their fellow K-pop colleagues:
1. “The Chase” by Hearts2Hearts
2. “First Snow” by EXO
3. “Super” by SEVENTEEN
4. “Genie” by Girls’ Generation
5. “1999” by NCT Mark
tripleS random dance challenge at the Hanteo Music Festival included MARK’s 1999✨️🥳
tripleS random challenge list:
• The Chase – H2H
• 첫 눈 (First Snow) – EXO
• Super – SEVENTEEN
• Genie – Girls’ Generation
• 1999 – MARK (!!)🌟 pic.twitter.com/N5UCFJbEmc— 🍏🫑💚 ( ͡•. •͡. )🎧 (@m__arkholic) November 22, 2025
More information will be added. This event is currently live in South Korea.
