"Time to Leave": 3rd Attempt Launched to Guide "Bukangi" the Shark Out of Busan North Port

Authorities are launching a third attempt today (October 21) to guide "Bukangi," a shark that has stayed in the artificial waterway of the Busan North Port Waterfront Park for over a month, back out to the sea.

Related agencies, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the City of Busan, will begin operations this afternoon to drive Bukangi out to the sea from the waterfront park's waterway.

This marks the third attempt to send Bukangi back to the ocean.

The relevant agencies plan to guide Bukangi toward the sea once again by pulling a net from the inner side of the waterway toward the exit.

However, unlike the second attempt, they will use a net fixed to a "pontoon," a floating facility used for work on the water.

This measure is designed to prevent Bukangi from crossing over the net and to stably maintain the shape of the deployed net.

Personnel will be stationed on the wide, barge-like pontoon to block Bukangi's approach.

Authorities plan to install equipment in the waterway this morning and begin full-scale guidance operations in the afternoon.

Experts will also be stationed at the site to monitor Bukangi's health status in real time.

Bukangi, a 3-meter-long blacktip shark, was first spotted in the waterfront park waterway on September 18.

As crowds flocked to see the large shark, the cumulative number of visitors to the waterfront park surpassed 1.6 million since Bukangi was first discovered.

To return Bukangi to the sea, authorities previously conducted a first guidance operation on September 29 by shooting streams of water with water pumps, followed by a second guidance operation using a net on October 2, both of which failed.

Initially, authorities decided to wait for Bukangi to leave for the open sea on its own, but as it showed little sign of leaving and the dropping water temperature increased the risk of death, they decided to launch a third guidance operation.


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