One Shark Draws 600,000 Busan Visitors
Friday, October 2, 2026219 words3 minutes2544 reads
A 3.5-metre shark, nicknamed Bukangi, has remained in a narrow canal at Busan's North Port since it was first spotted on September 18. Busan said about 600,000 people had visited the site by Sept 28, including 480,000 during the Chuseok holiday.
Busan used that public interest in an online poll. About 8,200 people took part, and 91% supported making Bukangi an honorary public relations ambassador. This is a symbolic city role, not a change in the shark's legal or biological status. The name combines Buk Hang, or North Port, with the familiar Korean ending -i.
Authorities are focused on releasing the shark, not keeping it in the canal. A first operation deployed boats that sprayed water behind it, aiming to guide it toward open sea. The shark avoided the streams, and the operation was stopped. Officials then said they were considering a specially designed net, stretched across the waterway, to channel the shark toward the exit.
Reports have called the animal a bronze whaler shark, but species identification varied in early coverage. Officials have not reported clear signs that its health has worsened, yet they say release is important for its safety and long-term health. The crowds are part of the story, but the rescue objective remains to return a wild animal to open water as safely as possible.
