What is the rescue plan for the Busan shark Bukang-i on Friday?

A joint team of Busan city and Coast Guard officials planned to start at 3:30 p.m. and use a large net to draw the shark out of the canal and toward the outer sea. One vessel was to tow the net while another sprayed water streams.

Why did Busan authorities decide to try rescuing Bukang-i again?

The earlier attempt on Tuesday lasted about five hours but failed because the shark repeatedly slipped behind the boats and stayed in the canal. Officials also said no feeding had been observed since it appeared, so they concluded it was no longer viable to leave it there.

How many visitors did Bukang-i attract in Busan, and when was it first spotted?

Bukang-i drew more than 600,000 visitors as of Monday. It was first spotted in the canal on Sept. 18 at Busan’s North Port.

Rescue operation for Busan shark set to resume

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Summary

Authorities in Busan were set to resume a rescue operation Friday to move a canal-trapped shark, Bukang-i, to the outer sea after an earlier attempt failed. A joint team of city and Coast Guard officials planned to use a 50-meter net, two vessels and 10 personnel at Busan’s North Port. The shark had drawn more than 600,000 visitors since it was first spotted on Sept. 18.

Key Facts

The rescue operation was scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Busan’s North Port.
The team planned to use a 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net, two vessels and 10 personnel.
During Tuesday’s previous attempt, officials spent about five hours using only water streams before the shark escaped behind the boats.
Bukang-i had drawn more than 600,000 visitors as of Monday after first being spotted in the canal on Sept. 18.
Authorities said no feeding had been observed since the shark appeared, and they decided it was no longer viable to let it stay in the canal.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 2, 2026 12:54 pm KST

Maritime authorities conduct a rescue operation to guide a shark out of a canal at a waterfront park to the open sea in the southeastern city of Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap

Authorities were set to resume a rescue operation Friday to guide a canal-trapped shark to the outer sea of the southeastern city of Busan after a first attempt failed earlier this week.

A joint rescue team involving city and Coast Guard officials is scheduled to begin the operation at 3:30 p.m. using a 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net to draw the shark, "Bukang-i," out of the canal at Busan's North Port.

Two vessels and 10 personnel will be deployed.

One vessel will tow the center of the net, while five people positioned on each side of the channel will pull the net in sync with the shark's speed toward the outside of the artificial waterway.

The other vessel will be fitted with pumps to spray water streams as the shark swims toward the canal's exit.

During the previous attempt Tuesday, authorities spent about five hours trying to guide the shark out using only water streams, without a net, but the animal repeatedly escaped by swimming behind the boats.

Bukang-i — a combination of Bukhang, or North Port, and the Korean suffix "i" — had attracted more than 600,000 visitors as of Monday since it was first spotted in the canal on Sept. 18.

With no feeding observed since its appearance, the authorities concluded it was no longer viable to let the animal stay in the canal and held a meeting Monday to discuss rescue plans.

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