[Anchor]

"Bukang-i," a shark that appeared in Busan North Port and drew a crowd of over one million people, has been identified as an endangered female silky shark. Experts analyze that it will leave for southern waters when the weather turns colder.

Choi Han-sol from KNN reports.

[Reporter]

"Bukang-i" managed to cross the net, just over 100 meters away from the open sea, and re-entered the waterway of the North Port Waterfront Park.

It was previously known to have a high probability of being a bull shark, but close-up photography confirmed it to be a silky shark.

A pointed ridge, a characteristic feature of silky sharks, was identified between the two fins on its back.

It is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and has been reported as an unrecorded species in South Korea.

[Kim Hyun-woo / Researcher, National Institute of Fisheries Science: Males have reproductive organs near their pelvic fins. We discussed this with shark experts. It has been confirmed as a female.]

Characterized by its distribution in temperate coastal waters, experts analyze that it will leave for southern waters during winter when water temperatures drop.

Bukang-i has become an even rarer presence.

The crowds visiting the North Port Waterfront Park to see Bukang-i have already surpassed one million people.

The North Port is a symbol of port history where military supplies and South Korea's first export cargo ships passed through in the 1950s, and it is currently undergoing redevelopment.

Capitalizing on Bukang-i's popularity, the Busan city government and port authorities have announced ambitions to make the North Port area a new hub for marine tourism.

They plan to introduce a master architect committee while mapping out various blueprints, such as the construction of a new building for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The waterfront area is planned to be developed with a stronger focus on experiential activities.

Thanks to the "lucky charm" Bukang-i, the North Port and its surrounding old downtown area are set to re-establish themselves as representative hot spots in Busan.

(Video by Oh Won-seok / KNN, Video Editing by Oh Hyun-hee / KNN)

Choi Han-sol, KNN