One shark draws 52,000 people to Busan waterfront in a single day
Busan city officials and other authorities have decided not to make any rescue attempts. Instead, they will wait for the shark to return to the open sea on its own.
Visitors crowd the waterfront areas to see a shark in a canal at the North Port Waterfront Park in Busan on Oct. 4.YONHAP
About 52,000 people crowded a waterfront park in Busan on Saturday to see one shark: Bukangi, which has remained in the harbor channel despite two rescue attempts.
A single shark has turned North Port Waterfront Park into one of the port city’s hottest attractions, as visitors pack the waterfront. The shark’s name combines a phonetic rendering of bukhang, the Korean word for North Port, with the suffix “-i,” commonly added to names as a sign of affection.
Busan city authorities estimate that more than 800,000 people have visited the park since the shark was first spotted in mid-September.
Crowds descended on the area early on Saturday morning and quickly filled up the outdoor parking lot at Busan Port International Passenger Terminal; officials had to eventually turn away incoming vehicles. As a result, some visitors illegally parked in nearby spaces.
People also flooded the pedestrian paths and bridges around the channel. Some stood under parasols in the blazing sun for up to an hour, waiting for Bukangi to surface.
The unusual sight of a shark lingering in a waterway in the heart of the city has drawn curious visitors at home and abroad, with foreign travelers arriving through Busan Station making their way to the waterfront park with suitcases in tow.
A shark, named Bukangi, swims in a canal at the North Port Waterfront Park in Busan on Oct. 3.NEWS1
As the water level rose during high tide on Saturday, Bukangi crossed a net installed in the channel and moved farther back into the waterway. Its return to the canal thwarted a second rescue attempt.
Busan city officials and other authorities have decided not to attempt another capture for now. Instead, they will wait for the shark to return to the open sea on its own.
Authorities are also monitoring the shark’s health. The National Institute of Fisheries Science and other agencies believe the shark is currently unable to feed properly and plan to continue observing its behavior and condition.
Some have called for ways to build on Bukangi’s popularity and turn North Port Waterfront Park into a lasting ecotourism destination.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
