Moon Hee-jun recalls H.O.T. beverage outselling Coca-Cola with W18b in sales over 5 months

Singer Moon Hee-jun looked back on the peak of H.O.T.'s fame, recalling how a beverage released under the group's name generated 18 billion won ($13.2 million) in sales in just five months — briefly outselling Coca-Cola.

Moon appeared Tuesday on SBS's "Same Bed, Different Dreams — You Are My Destiny," where he reminisced about the group's heyday.

The episode also featured broadcaster Hong Kyung-min and his wife Kim Yu-na visiting a snack museum, where a display of "Operation Midnight Hammer" snacks — advertised by H.O.T. in 1997 — caught viewers' attention.

Moon, who led the pioneering idol group H.O.T. during its prime, said he was surprised to see the group's memorabilia in a museum. "Are we already at the point of being in a museum?" he said, adding that the curry-flavored snack was so hard it was difficult to chew during the commercial shoot.

He then said that a beverage released under the H.O.T. name had at one point surpassed Coca-Cola in sales.

"I heard that 45 million cans were sold over five months, generating 18 billion won in sales," Moon said. "They say we briefly beat Coke's sales figures at the time." His remarks gave audiences a sense of just how wide the group's popularity had been.

Moon also drew gasps when he revealed that female fans had once sent him paper cranes weighing a full ton.