Video showing visitors crossing safety barriers goes viral; no guards seen intervening

[Captured from Ruliweb]
[Captured from Ruliweb]

A man was caught on video climbing over a railing and wading into the waterway at Busan's Bukang Waterfront Park — where a shark has drawn massive crowds — to retrieve a dropped phone, stirring controversy online amid growing calls for tighter safety measures.

Residents and online commenters are pressing local authorities to strengthen safety management at the site.

On Wednesday, a video titled "People are starting to cross the line at the Busan shark canal" began spreading across online communities and social media.

The footage shows a man climbing over a railing, standing on rocks at the edge of the canal and plunging his hand into the water to search for his phone.

The video shows crowds packed along the canal and even on bridges overlooking the waterway, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the shark. A number of visitors can be seen holding parasols against the strong sun.

At one point, a man climbs over the railing, stands on rocks at the canal's edge and reaches into the water, rummaging around for some time before pulling out a phone and climbing back to safety.

The person who submitted the video added a caption reading: "Looks like someone dropped their phone. I was relieved they got it back safely — but the shark showed up less than five minutes later."

Shortly after the man had been reaching into the water, the surface in that same spot began to ripple. Bystanders waiting nearby were seen raising their phones to film the moment.

It is unclear whether the shark had sensed something unusual and moved toward the area. No safety personnel can be seen in the video intervening to stop the man from crossing the railing and approaching the water's edge, adding to public unease.

Online commenters reacted sharply. "Koreans have a uniquely poor sense of danger," one wrote. Others said, "I guess someone has to get bitten before anything gets done," "You knew something like this would happen eventually," "They should just drive the shark away — it looks dangerous," "That person nearly became shark food," and "Whether it's the people or the shark, get them out of there fast."

Earlier, accounts had circulated on social media of a visitor being stopped while attempting to throw a live chicken into the canal toward the shark.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science, the shark — nicknamed "Bukang-i" — measures 3.5 meters, well over the height of an average adult, and is believed to be a bull shark, a species in the family Carcharhinidae. Bull sharks are found in subtropical waters across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, including along Korea's coast, and are classified as a species with a high risk of attacking humans.

Choi Yoon, a shark expert and professor in the Department of Marine Bioresources at Gunsan University, said Tuesday on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" that the possibility of a human attack could not be entirely ruled out. "Sharks often attack people when provoked first," Choi said. "If someone gets close enough to agitate the shark, an attack is possible."

On the question of feeding the animal, Choi said it was far better not to throw food to it, as that too could be a form of provocation. "In the wild, bull sharks feed on fish — they don't typically eat meat or things thrown by humans," he said.

Choi added that the shark likely entered the canal while chasing prey. "It's something that can happen fairly often overseas," he said.


jshan@heraldcorp.com