Shark enters its 10th day at Bukhang Waterfront Park

Crowds gather from early morning Sunday — the final day of the chuseok holiday — to catch a glimpse of "Bukang-i," a shark that has taken up residence in the waterway of Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan. [Yonhap]
Crowds gather from early morning Sunday — the final day of the chuseok holiday — to catch a glimpse of "Bukang-i," a shark that has taken up residence in the waterway of Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan. [Yonhap]

A total of 405,800 people visited Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, during the chuseok holiday from Sept. 19 to Saturday to see the shark known as "Bukang-i."

On Sunday, Busan city officials held a meeting with relevant agencies to discuss the shark's movements and options for relocating it.

Bukang-i first appeared at Bukhang Waterfront Park on Sept. 18 and has remained there for 10 days. On Sunday, hundreds of visitors lined the railings along the waterway for stretches of several hundred meters, waiting for the shark to swim into view. On both sides of a pedestrian bridge spanning the waterway, visitors stood shoulder to shoulder, phones in hand, peering down at the water below.

Bukang-i seemed almost to enjoy the attention, gliding leisurely along the waterway wall with slow, sweeping strokes of its tail fin.

As the shark moved through the water, cheers and raised phones rippled through the crowd in a wave — much like the stadium wave at baseball games.

When small fish occasionally leaped above the surface, visitors could be heard remarking that Bukang-i "probably isn't going hungry."

The large parking lot near the park was nearly full from early morning. The elevated walkway connecting Busan Station's main hall to the park was so packed with people heading to see Bukang-i that it was difficult to pass.


hss@heraldcorp.com