Korean man claimed he could pitch a 24-man tent in 2 hours. Thousands turned up and asked him to prove it

We often see internet claims that are so bold that they fade into obscurity within minutes. But now and then, there comes one that grabs so much attention that it turns into a full-blown event. An individual on Reddit, u/Huge_Trust_5057, revisited one such claim when they shared the story of how a Korean man’s online boast led to a massive real-life gathering where thousands watched to see if he could pitch a 24-person army tent entirely by himself. Aving, a Korean news source, and the YouTube channel @cbs_nocut also covered the story. The origin of this wild challenge traces back to 2010 when someone on a Korean internet forum asked about strange experiences during military service.

A person replied that he had once pitched a 24-person tent entirely on his own, a feat that was immediately met with disbelief. Given that these tents usually require "at least four, and ideally eight," people to assemble, the comment was quickly dismissed as bravado. Two years later, the claim resurfaced on the SLR Club, another Korean forum, where it again drew skepticism. One user, however, simply replied, "It works." That user was Lv.7 Bug. He soon made a public bet, wagering 500,000 won (roughly $400) that he could do it in under two hours.

The challenge quickly snowballed and what started as a single internet comment transformed into the "T24 Social Festival," held on September 8, 2012. Backed by a growing number of supporters, the event was sponsored by GM Corporation, which offered high-end PC cases as prizes. The build-up to the event was unlike anything expected for an internet dare. Organizers secured a schoolyard as the venue, arranged special transportation to accommodate visitors, booked performances by popular singers, and attracted the attention of national media outlets. More than 3,000 people attended in person, while over 100,000 tuned in online.

When the day arrived, Lv.7 Bug showed up on the back of a truck and got to work as the crowd watched. While the tent's central pillar is typically a five-person job, he worked through each step steadily, occasionally pausing to acknowledge the audience or take photos. Within 90 minutes, he had finished assembling the tent, which stood fully upright and stable. He even climbed onto the structure to prove its stability. Technically, he spent closer to an hour on the actual setup, once breaks were excluded. GM Corporation followed through on its promise, gifting him a GMC H-100 Feng IV PC case.

A second unit was raffled off to attendees. GMC marketing manager Joo-chul Joo said, "I was surprised by the incredible enthusiasm for the T24 Social Festival. We kept our promise, but I was disappointed that we couldn’t support more people because more people participated than expected." Following the success of the event, Lv.7 Bug became an internet microcelebrity and made television appearances. The event was celebrated by the Korean military and turned into an iconic internet memory. While later attempts to recreate the magic of the T24 Festival with new "social festivals" fell flat, the original remains a rare example of the internet coming together for something wholly entertaining and unexpected.

Redditors were just as amazed. u/RevoD346 wrote, "Awesome! The mad lad actually did it, damn." u/DramaticErraticism asked, "Hmmm...does this mean I should give more credence to internet braggarts lest they show up and run their craft and humiliate doubters like me?" u/angrydessert joked, "That was some 'hold my soju' moment."