A 3.5-metre shark nicknamed Bukang-i — after Busan’s North Port — has been stuck in a narrow South Korean city canal for more than a week, and the crowds will not quit. The Guardian reported from Seoul that the fish was first spotted Sept. 18; experts think it is a bronze whaler that followed prey in and could not get out.
North Port Waterfront Park usually sees about 2,000 holiday visitors a day. From Sept. 19–28 the city recorded 607,000 visits. Coastguard crews tried a drive-out on day one, then suspended after six hours on scientists’ advice. Tuesday morning, boats sprayed water jets behind the shark — modeled on a 2004 Massachusetts great-white rescue — but the first try failed when Bukang-i slipped past the boats back into the canal (Herald Business). The afternoon operation was suspended again. A fisheries institute says the shark is stable, but feeding and movement are restricted.
The city leaned into the moment: after a 91% Instagram poll said yes, Busan named the shark an honorary publicity ambassador — the “Shafluencer” — and mascot Boogi accepted the certificate. Mayor Chun Jae-soo: “It really has star quality… It’s just so pretty.” Kim Jung-sook, 62, said she got attached after seeing it a few days and felt a bit sad. Lee Do-yoon, 8: “It’s OK… Bukang-i is going to meet its friends.”
Background sting: the fisheries institute counted 46 large sharks off the east coast in the first half of the year — nearly four times a year earlier — blaming warmer seas and more prey fish.
Sources: The Guardian (Raphael Rashid)
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