2nd rescue attempt to return Busan shark suspended
A rescue operation using a large custom-made net to guide shark "Bukangi" to open sea is underway at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, Friday. Yonhap
A second rescue operation to return “Bukangi,” a shark that has been stranded in an artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park for 15 days, to the open sea, has been suspended.
A joint rescue team of Busan city officials and other relevant agencies began slowly guiding Bukangi toward the sea at 3 p.m. on Friday, using a 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net and boats positioned on both sides of the waterway.
One boat towed the center of the net, while five people were positioned at each end of the waterway to hold the net and keep pace with the shark. Behind the net, another boat equipped with a water pump created foam on the water to guide Bukangi toward the open sea.
At around 5:40 p.m., however, the rescue team suspended the operation when the shark was about 50 meters from the sixth pedestrian bridge, which was the last bridge to pass to go toward the open sea.
Busan city officials said the operation had become increasingly difficult as the water level rose with high tide approaching, while the net got caught on the bottom about 70 to 80 meters before the sixth pedestrian bridge.
With the mission unable to move Bukangi any farther toward the sea, the rescue team secured the net in place before calling off the operation.
Bukangi, affectionately named with the combination of Busan's Bukhang or North Port, and the Korean suffix "-i," was first spotted on Sept. 18 in the artificial waterway at the Waterfront park, attracting a total of 674,800 visitors from across the country as of Wednesday.
With Bukangi's prolonged stay in the waterway, authorities have been working to guide the shark back to the open sea. Sharks typically inhabit the open sea and could suffer health problems or potentially die if they remain in a narrow waterway for an extended period.
A first rescue attempt was made three days earlier, only to fail after five hours as Bukangi avoided the streams of water.