About 50 personnel deployed daily; Pedestrian Bridges 4 and 5 under close watch

Waterway access restricted nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Rescue options to be discussed if shark remains after holiday

Visitors photograph a shark that appeared in the waterway of Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday. [Yonhap]
Visitors photograph a shark that appeared in the waterway of Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday. [Yonhap]

Busan city said Wednesday it will strengthen safety management at Bukhang Waterfront Park over the Chuseok holiday period in coordination with relevant agencies, as crowds continue to gather to see a shark that appeared in the park's scenic waterway.

City officials held an emergency meeting at Bukhang Waterfront Park on Tuesday with representatives from the Dong-gu district office, police, the fire department, the Korea Coast Guard, the National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan Port Authority and Busan Facilities Corporation to discuss crowd safety and options for returning the shark safely to open waters.

During the Chuseok holiday, the city will operate a central situation room headed by the director of the Green City Bureau, with an emergency response framework established across all participating agencies. Agencies will share their individual safety management plans and are to respond swiftly on the ground and relay updates to one another should a dangerous situation arise.

About 50 emergency personnel from the city, Busan Facilities Corporation, the Dong-gu district office and police will be deployed daily at the park. Pedestrian Bridges 4 and 5 and the surrounding waterfront areas — where visitors tend to concentrate — will receive priority attention, while the coast guard and fire department will conduct two patrols a day to support on-site response.

When crowds become too dense, officials will guide visitors to disperse and restrict entry to congested areas. If overcrowding persists, section closures or visitor clearances may be enforced. To prevent nighttime accidents, access along the waterway will be restricted every day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning.

Should the park's 464-space parking lot reach capacity, visitors will be directed to the Busan International Passenger Terminal parking lot, which has about 1,500 spaces, to ease congestion. The city also plans to manage parking lot entry and exit, work with police and the Dong-gu district office to crack down on illegal parking in the surrounding area, and keep emergency vehicle lanes clear so ambulances and other emergency vehicles can reach the site without delay.

Meanwhile, the city will monitor whether the shark leaves the scenic waterway on its own and returns to open waters before the end of the Chuseok holiday. If it remains after the holiday, the city will consult with the National Institute of Fisheries Science and other relevant agencies on rescue options.

If the shark does not move on its own, the city plans to hold a meeting Monday with the National Institute of Fisheries Science, the coast guard and Busan Port Authority to assess the shark's condition and review rescue methods, as well as the personnel and equipment needed to return it safely to the sea.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com