Over 560,000 visitors flock to Busan to see canal-trapped shark Bukang-i
Visitors watch Bukang-i, a shark trapped in a narrow canal, swim at a waterfront park in the southeastern city of Busan, Sunday. Yonhap
BUSAN — More than 560,000 people have visited a waterfront park in the southeastern city of Busan over the past 10 days to catch a glimpse of a 3.5-meter shark trapped in a local canal, authorities said Monday.
The shark was first spotted Sept. 18 in a narrow canal at Busan's North Port. Affectionately named Bukang-i — a combination of Bukhang, or North Port, and the Korean suffix "i" — the marine animal has drawn 568,800 visitors since Sept. 19, according to the Busan Infrastructure Corp.
Public interest spiked dramatically during the Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, with 483,000 visitors flocking to the waterfront park over four days: 101,000 on Thursday, 136,000 on Friday, 140,000 the following day and 106,000 on Sunday. These figures represent a fiftyfold increase compared with the park's usual daily average of about 2,000 visitors during holidays.
Initially, local maritime police and authorities tried to drive the shark away. The animal, however, refused to leave the channel, prompting officials to suspend their operations.
As Bukang-i remained trapped in the waterway through the end of the Chuseok holiday, relevant authorities were scheduled to hold a meeting Monday to discuss rescue plans.