468,000 visitors to North Port waterfront park from Sept. 24–27

Cumulative count rises to 553,800 since Sept. 19

Shark 'Bukang-i' has stayed in the canal for 10 days since Sept. 18

Busan city to hold emergency meeting Monday on relocation and rescue options

Visitors stand at the water's edge under umbrellas waiting to catch a glimpse of "Bukang-i," a shark that has taken up residence in the artificial canal at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Saturday. [Yonhap]
Visitors stand at the water's edge under umbrellas waiting to catch a glimpse of "Bukang-i," a shark that has taken up residence in the artificial canal at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

Nearly 470,000 people descended on North Port Waterfront Park in Busan over the four-day Chuseok holiday, drawn by a shark that has been living in the park's canal since Sept. 18.

According to the Busan Facilities Corporation, a total of 468,000 visitors came to the park from Thursday — the first day of the Chuseok holiday — through 6 p.m. Sunday.

The daily breakdown shows 101,000 visitors on Thursday, 136,000 on Friday and 140,000 on Saturday. Even on Sunday, the final day of the holiday, 91,000 people had visited by 6 p.m.

Counting from Sept. 19, when officials began tracking attendance, the cumulative total reached 553,800.

The crowds also brought safety incidents. A child was stung by a bee near a café in the park Sunday afternoon, and a man in his 40s fell and injured his finger near a pedestrian bridge. Both sustained minor injuries.

Following standard operating procedure, the Busan Facilities Corporation closed the waterfront park at 6 p.m. Sunday and guided remaining visitors to leave.

The shark, nicknamed "Bukang-i," was first spotted in the North Port canal on Sept. 18 and has remained in the area for 10 days. As visitor numbers surged, crowds filled nearby parking lots and the pedestrian walkway connecting Busan Station to the North Port throughout the holiday.

With the shark showing no signs of leaving, Busan city plans to hold a meeting with relevant agencies Monday to assess its condition and discuss options for a safe rescue or for guiding it back out to open sea.

Meanwhile, tourist numbers in Busan surged this summer overall. According to city officials, the eight beaches in the area drew a combined 22.53 million visitors this year, a record high. Haeundae Beach alone surpassed 10 million annual visitors for the first time.


kwater@heraldcorp.com