Cumulative visitors top 800,000; outdoor parking lot fills to capacity
Public fascination with Bukkangi — the shark that has refused to leave despite two rescue attempts — is reaching a fever pitch, with the surge in visitors triggering a full-blown parking crisis at Bukhang Waterfront Park.
Busan city officials said 52,000 people visited Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, where Bukkangi has taken up residence, by 6 p.m. Saturday. Since the shark was first spotted, cumulative visitors to the park have surpassed 800,000.
High tide on Saturday raised water levels enough for Bukkangi to clear the nets set up to contain it and swim back into the inner waterway, and even larger crowds were expected to descend on the park that day.
The outdoor parking lot at Busan International Ferry Terminal was full and closed to incoming vehicles from the morning. Roads around Bukhang Waterfront Park were clogged with illegally parked cars and vehicles trying to enter the park, turning the surrounding streets into a makeshift parking lot.
The waterside promenade and pedestrian bridges offering views of Bukkangi were packed shoulder to shoulder.
As the afternoon tide came in and Bukkangi's range expanded, the distance from which visitors could observe the shark grew accordingly.
Visitors waited more than an hour under the blazing sun — many sheltering under parasols — for a glimpse of the shark's fin breaking the surface.
Foreign tourists arriving at Busan Station also made their way to the park, rolling luggage in tow, to see the shark trapped in an urban waterway.
Meanwhile, Bukkangi remains in the waterway despite two rescue attempts by authorities. Busan city and other rescue agencies have decided to hold off on further operations for now, opting to wait and see if the shark finds its own way out.
However, the National Institute of Fisheries Science and other bodies are monitoring Bukkangi's health closely, as the shark appears to be unable to feed.
ko@heraldcorp.com
