Shark fever hits Busan as 102,000 rush to see 'Bukangi' at start of Chuseok break
People take photos of a shark spotted in a canal at the North Port waterfront park in Busan, Sept. 20. Yonhap
More than 100,000 people flocked to a waterfront park at Busan’s North Port on Wednesday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shark nicknamed “Bukangi” that has been spotted in a canal there. The turnout was about 50 times the park’s usual holiday visitor count.
According to the Busan Facilities Corporation on Thursday, approximately 93,000 people had visited the waterfront park in Dong District by 6 p.m. Wednesday. Including visitors who arrived later, the total was estimated at around 102,000. The park typically receives about 2,000 visitors on a holiday.
The shark, which was spotted at North Port and given the nickname Bukangi, has become a local attraction, drawing crowds even during the holiday period.
People visit the North Port waterfront park in Busan for shark spotting, Sept. 20. Yonhap
The waterfront park is about 500 meters from Busan Station and is within walking distance. As crowds gathered around the park Wednesday afternoon, Busan Metropolitan City sent a safety alert urging people to avoid driving and to use public transportation, warning of severe congestion in the area.
To prevent safety accidents, the city has restricted access to areas around the canal from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.
Bukangi, first spotted on Sept. 18, has remained in the canal for eight days as of Thursday.
Relevant authorities, including Busan Metropolitan City, plan to wait through the holiday to see whether the shark leaves the canal on its own. If it remains there afterward, they will consider measures such as guiding it out of the canal.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.