A picket sign at Busan North Port's waterfront park protests the removal of Bukang-i, reading that the shark's right to self-determination must be guaranteed. [Yonhap]
A picket sign at Busan North Port's waterfront park protests the removal of Bukang-i, reading that the shark's right to self-determination must be guaranteed. [Yonhap]

Critics are accusing authorities of stripping Bukang-i — the shark that became the mascot of Busan's North Port — of its right to self-determination by releasing it into open waters.

Photos of picket signs taken at the North Port waterfront park have been spreading across online communities and social media. The signs read: "Guarantee Bukang-i's right to self-determination" and "It took 20 years to find a home — how dare you force an eviction."

Opposition to the removal had been building for some time. On Wednesday, a petition was filed on Cheongwon24, the government's official petition platform, calling on authorities to halt the release operation. The petitioner argued that Bukang-i had chosen the waterway on its own and asked that, rather than forcing it out, officials draw up a protection plan to keep the shark safe in its current habitat.

Bukang-i, the shark that was guided out of the artificial waterway at Busan North Port's waterfront park during a third release attempt on Sunday, swims back inside the barrier. [Yonhap]
Bukang-i, the shark that was guided out of the artificial waterway at Busan North Port's waterfront park during a third release attempt on Sunday, swims back inside the barrier. [Yonhap]

Even after Bukang-i was moved to the outer harbor, calls to "bring Bukang-i back" have continued to pour in on online communities. "Please return Bukang-i, who brought joy to everyone," one user wrote, adding that the shark "must be sad and longing to come home."

Authorities, however, maintain that the release was carried out for the shark's own safety. Bukang-i had sustained injuries from colliding with the walls of the narrow waterway, and no feeding activity had been observed in the month since it was first spotted. Experts broadly agreed that the shark, which is sensitive to changes in water temperature, would not survive the approaching winter in the confined channel.

The operation to guide Bukang-i out of the inner harbor succeeded on Wednesday. The National Institute of Fisheries Science said it spotted the shark swimming near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal on Saturday — about 2 kilometers from where it was last seen. While not yet in open sea, Bukang-i had left the artificial waterway.

The institute said the shark appeared to be adapting to its new environment and showed no signs of health problems.


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