About 470,000 people flocked to a waterfront park canal in Busan's Dong District over the four-day Chuseok holiday to see a shark nicknamed "Bukangi," which has taken up residence in the artificial channel at Bukhang. Busan and other agencies plan to explore rescue options, including guiding the shark back to the open sea.
The waterfront park drew 91,000 visitors as of 6 p.m. on the 27th, the Busan Infrastructure Corporation said. The park had 101,000 visitors on the 24th, the first day of the holiday, and 136,000 on Chuseok day on the 25th, bringing the four-day total to 468,000. Cumulative visitors from the 19th, when the corporation began counting, through the 27th reached 553,800. The crowds held up even as 17.3 millimeters of rain fell on Busan on the 26th. Residents gathered along the canal from the morning, and visitors leaning on the railings cheered and applauded each time Bukangi surfaced.
The shark first appeared at the Bukhang waterfront park on the 18th and has stayed in the artificial canal for 10 days. It measures more than about three meters and is believed to be either a tawny nurse shark or a dusky shark. Residents gave it the nickname "Bukangi," meaning "the shark found at Bukhang."
The Busan Coast Guard has sent patrol boats several times to guide Bukangi out of the canal and into open water, but the shark has remained inside. Busan officials and the National Institute of Fisheries Science plan to assess the shark's condition and discuss rescue measures.
Residents are split over what should happen to Bukangi. Some argue there is no need to force it out if it is staying on its own because the canal suits it, while others say a wild shark should be returned to the waters where it originally lived.
