A shark that unexpectedly appeared in a narrow canal at Busan’s North Port has transformed a waterfront park into one of South Korea’s most talked-about attractions, drawing 568,800 visitors in just 10 days, according to local authorities.
The approximately 3.5-meter shark, affectionately named “Bukang-i,” was first spotted in the canal on Sept. 18. The nickname combines “Bukhang,” the Korean name for North Port, with the Korean suffix “-i.”
What began as an unusual wildlife sighting quickly turned into a tourism phenomenon.
Chuseok Crowds Turn Shark Into a Major Attraction
The biggest surge came during South Korea’s Chuseok holiday.
According to the Busan Infrastructure Corp., the waterfront park recorded 483,000 visitors over four days, from Sept. 24 through Sept. 27. Daily attendance reached 101,000 on Thursday, 136,000 on Friday, 140,000 on Saturday and 106,000 on Sunday.
The numbers were roughly 50 times the park’s normal holiday daily average of about 2,000 visitors, turning Bukang-i into an unexpected crowd magnet.
Visitors gathered around the canal hoping to catch a glimpse of the animal swimming through the waterway, with many taking photographs and videos.
Authorities Face a New Challenge
The enormous crowds have created a second challenge alongside the shark itself: managing visitor safety.
Separate Korean reporting said authorities deployed additional personnel and introduced crowd-flow measures around heavily visited areas of the waterfront park during the holiday.
The park’s sudden popularity has therefore become a logistical issue for Busan, with authorities having to balance public interest with safe access to the waterfront.
Why Won’t Bukang-i Leave?
Authorities initially attempted to encourage the shark to leave the canal, but the efforts did not succeed. Officials subsequently suspended those attempts and continued monitoring the animal.
By Sept. 28, Bukang-i had remained in the canal for about 10 days.
Busan authorities, the Korea Coast Guard and fisheries experts were scheduled to discuss possible rescue measures, with the goal of determining a safe way to return the shark to open water.
Earlier expert commentary emphasized continued monitoring and avoiding unnecessary disturbance unless the animal showed signs of weakness or other problems.
From Stranded Shark to Busan Sensation
The unexpected arrival has given the North Port area a remarkable burst of attention.
The waterfront park normally attracts a much smaller number of visitors, but Bukang-i has turned the canal into a temporary viewing destination during one of Korea’s busiest holiday periods.
The phenomenon also highlights how an unexpected wildlife encounter can rapidly become a tourism story when it captures public imagination.
For Busan, however, the priority now is not simply the crowds or the publicity. Officials must determine how to handle Bukang-i safely while managing the thousands of people gathering to see the animal.
For now, the shark remains in the canal — and the question that has captivated Busan is what happens next to Bukang-i.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
