▲ A shark at the waterfront park in Busan Bukhang (Port of Busan)
As the shark that entered the artificial waterway at the waterfront park in Dong-gu, Busan, shows signs of an "extended stay," the Busan Metropolitan City government and related agencies have begun devising countermeasures.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, officials from Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Port Authority, the Busan Coast Guard, and the National Institute of Fisheries Science held a meeting to discuss measures regarding the shark at the waterfront park.
They decided to wait until the upcoming Chuseok holiday (September 24 to 27) for the shark to leave the waterway on its own.
If it continues to stay in the waterway even after the holiday, they plan to consider measures such as guiding it out to the open sea.
In preparation for the possibility that visitors might flock to see the shark during the holiday period, they also plan to strengthen safety management.
The 3.5-meter-long shark was discovered on the 18th in the waterfront park's waterway, which was created along the coast.
Coast Guard officials and others rushed to the scene to drive the shark away, but it did not leave the waterway.
Following the recommendation of the National Institute of Fisheries Science, the Coast Guard decided to wait for the shark to leave on its own and suspended operations to remove it.
As the shark has remained in the waterway for five days, visitors have flocked to the waterfront park to watch it, turning the shark into a nationwide sensation overnight.
The shark found in Bukhang has even been given the nickname "Bukang-i."
Even over the weekend, while the waterfront park usually averages about 2,000 visitors per day, the number surged to approximately 20,000 over the past two days of the weekend, and about 10,000 people were estimated to have visited on Monday the 21st.
Convenience stores and cafes around the waterfront park are enjoying an unexpected "boom" thanks to the crowds gathered to see the shark.
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