Bukang-i, the shark spotted in Busan's Bukang Waterfront Park canal [Yonhap]
Bukang-i, the shark spotted in Busan's Bukang Waterfront Park canal [Yonhap]

Public fascination with Bukang-i — a shark that has taken up long-term residence in the artificial canal of Busan's Bukang Waterfront Park — shows no sign of fading. But because it is a shark, authorities cannot rule out the risk of an incident should it, or others like it, venture into the heavily trafficked beaches nearby. Onlookers at the site have been heard saying things like, "Bukang-i is fine here, but Bukang-i and its friends absolutely cannot show up at the beach."

Busan city officials said Tuesday they would seek measures to prevent sharks from entering the city's beaches, Yonhap reported.

The city plans to discuss shark-prevention strategies at its "2026 Beach Operations Evaluation Forum" on Nov. 17, which will bring together five district offices that oversee beaches within the city, along with the Korea Coast Guard and fire department.

Until this year, the city's main focus had been on toxic jellyfish, with protective nets deployed at beaches to keep them out. Starting with next year's beach operations plan, however, the city intends to classify sharks and similar creatures as hazardous marine life and develop corresponding prevention measures.

"There has never been a shark sighting at a Busan beach, and even in the Donghae area sharks have appeared only in deep water about 10 kilometers offshore, so we had not previously considered shark intrusion a concern," a city official said. "However, given that Bukang-i came as close as 6 meters of water depth to the shoreline, we have decided to put shark-prevention measures in place for our beaches."

The city is seriously considering reinforcing its existing jellyfish barrier nets and introducing electric shark deterrents — devices that repel sharks with an electric current — similar to those already in use at beaches along the east coast.

Over 200,000 visitors during Hangul Day holiday

Bukang-i's popularity continues unabated. More than 200,000 people visited the waterfront park during the Hangul Day holiday weekend alone.

According to the Busan Facilities Corporation, cumulative visitors to the waterfront park reached 205,000 by 6 p.m. Sunday — covering Friday through Sunday of the holiday weekend. Friday and Saturday were particularly busy, drawing 74,000 and 75,000 visitors respectively.

Earlier, Bukang-i drew 264,000 visitors over the three-day National Foundation Day holiday from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5.

Since Bukang-i was first spotted in the park's artificial canal on Sept. 18, cumulative visitors have reached about 1.35 million.

The blacktip shark, measuring between 3 and 3.5 meters, has refused to leave the canal despite two rescue attempts by authorities.

Bukang-i's name has even come up at the National Assembly's national audit.

During the audit of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries held at its Busan office, lawmakers raised the need for research, information sharing and follow-up measures in response to the shark's appearance.


yul@heraldcorp.com