"Let's Go See Bukangi"... 102,000 People Flock on First Day of Holidays

As a shark that entered the artificial waterway at the North Port waterfront park in Dong-gu, Busan, continues to stay there through the Chuseok holidays, the crowd flocking to see the shark on the first day of the holidays exceeded 100,000.

According to the Busan Facility Corporation, the cumulative number of visitors to the waterfront park on September 24, the first day of the holidays, was tallied at approximately 93,000 as of 6:00 PM.

To prevent safety accidents, the Busan Metropolitan Government is restricting access around the waterfront park waterway from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM the following day.

When including all visitors who came even after 6:00 PM, the number is estimated to have reached about 102,000.

Considering that the number of visitors to the waterfront park on ordinary holidays is around 2,000, this means that a crowd 50 times larger gathered.

As the waterfront park shark, which was discovered at the North Port and even earned the nickname "Bukangi," emerged into a nationwide attraction, citizens flocked to see it during the holidays.

It is known that returning home visitors arriving at Busan Station also visited the waterfront park.

Busan Station and the waterfront park are about 500 meters apart, making it a walkable distance.

In the afternoon, as crowds surged into the waterfront park, the Busan Metropolitan Government sent out an emergency safety text message stating, "Severe congestion is occurring around the waterfront park area," and "Visitors are requested to refrain from using vehicles and use public transportation as much as possible."

Visitors are expected to flock again today (September 25), the second day of the holidays and Chuseok.

Bukangi, which was found in the waterfront park waterway on September 18, has been staying there for 8 days.

As visitors flocking to get a close look at the large shark, measuring 3.5 meters in size, continue to arrive, nearby convenience stores and cafes are enjoying an unexpected boom.

Authorities, including the Busan Metropolitan Government, plan to wait for Bukangi to leave the waterway on its own during the holiday period and draw up rescue measures if it remains after the holidays.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.