"We Have Bukang, What Are You Doing?"... Suspicious Man Appears at Dawn

[Anchor]

The number of visitors who have come to the Busan waterfront park to see the blacktip reef shark, "Bukang," has exceeded 1.3 million. With outsiders suddenly flocking in large numbers, problems such as trash and traffic congestion are reportedly becoming severe.

Ha Young-kwang from KNN reports.

[Reporter]

In the early morning hours, a man throws something into the Bukang Port waterway.

He pays no mind to nearby attempts to stop him.

What was found at the scene was leftover Bossam (boiled pork slices) and kimchi stew.

He threw food waste right into the waterway where Bukang frequently swims.

[Jung Chang-geun and Jung Jun-bin / Yangjeong-dong, Busan: It is a bit regrettable. It has become a mascot of Busan, so I hope people will protect it well, not throw away things like trash, and take the initiative to have good civic consciousness.]

Blacktip reef sharks like Bukang are known to have a characteristic of lowering their metabolism while continuing to swim during sleep.

However, as some citizens shine strong flashlights at night, causing Bukang to show abnormal reactions, even a "vigilante group" has emerged to stop this. During their activities, arguments broke out between citizens, and the police were even dispatched.

Since Bukang appeared, visitors to the Busan North Port Waterfront Park have surpassed 1.3 million.

However, with such a large crowd gathering, small and large difficulties in on-site management are following one after another.

In particular, the nighttime hours when management personnel are reduced are a blind spot.

Illegal parking and traffic congestion around the North Port area caused by the influx of visitors are also problems.

[Kim Heon-ho / Head of Park Planning Team, Busan Metropolitan City: There is a lack of nighttime personnel. We patrol at night and guide people through banners and broadcasts, but there are limitations with just that.]

As much as the fervent interest toward Bukang, a "lucky windfall" that rolled into the North Port, a mature civic consciousness seems necessary.

(Video by Park Eun-sung, KNN | Video Editing by Lee So-min, KNN)

Ha Young-kwang, KNN

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