In early 1996, SM Entertainment founder and record producer Lee Soo-man surveyed high school students in the area to find out what their ideal pop music group would be like.

[1] Five members—Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta and Lee Jae-won were recruited by the company and soon became trainees under the agency, a model that took inspiration from the idol system in Japan.

[5] Upon its release, We Hate All Kinds of Violence was met with commercial success in South Korea, selling over 1.5 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums in the country.

— IZM, October 2012[5]Pop culture commentators have regarded We Hate All Kinds of Violence for its role in ushering the modern idol system in K-pop.

led them to become considered as the first idol group in South Korea;[6][7][8] the fashion, rap skills and dance moves shown through its songs such as "Candy" sparked a new wave of mainstream music in the country.