Crowds flocked to the artificial waterway at the Busan Port North Port Waterfront Park throughout the National Foundation Day holiday to see "Bukang-i," a shark that has been lingering there for over two weeks since it was first spotted on September 18.

According to the Busan Metropolitan City government and other sources, visitors began streaming into the waterfront park starting at 7:00 a.m. today (Oct. 5).

The outdoor parking lot of the Busan International Cruise Terminal and roads around the North Port Waterfront Park experienced heavy traffic congestion due to vehicles driven by people coming to see Bukang-i.

Even on the morning of this day, the walking paths and pedestrian bridges surrounding the waterway, where Bukang-i can be seen directly, were packed with spectators, forming double and triple lines facing the waterway.

Citizens gathered to see Bukang-i after the shark crossed back over a net installed to guide it to the open sea, returning inside the waterway as water levels rose due to a high tide on October 3.

Following 72,000 visitors on October 3, the first day of the National Foundation Day holiday, and 69,000 visitors on October 4 who visited the North Port Waterfront Park to see Bukang-i, massive crowds poured in again on October 5, the final day of the holiday.


The number of visitors to the North Port Waterfront Park, which had averaged only 2,000 per day before Bukang-i's arrival, surpassed 100,000 on September 24, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, and peaked at 140,000 on September 26.

According to Busan City's tally, cumulative visitors from September 19 to October 4 reached 891,800.

About 100 personnel from related organizations, including the Busan Corporation, police, Busan City, and Dong-gu Office, engaged in visitor safety management activities.

Citizens were busy marveling at Bukang-i swimming gracefully inside the artificial waterway, or following it around to take pictures with their smartphones.

Bukang-i continues to stay in the waterway despite two attempts by rescue authorities to guide it out to the open sea.

Rescue authorities have decided to wait for Bukang-i to leave the waterway on its own for the time being without further rescue operations.

The net installed after the second rescue operation was removed around 4:20 p.m. on October 3 to secure a passage for Bukang-i to move toward the outer sea.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science and other organizations are continuously monitoring its health condition and movement status, judging that Bukang-i is unable to forage for food.

(Photo: Yonhap News)