Shark deterrent installed at Haeundae beach

Busan's Haeundae Beach, one of Korea's most popular summer holiday destinations, has installed electronic shark deterrents amid increasing fears about attacks.

The systems are designed to repel the predators by sending out electric pulses that short-circuit a sensitive gel in the shark's nose, interrupting its ability to navigate and detect prey.

"We have installed three electronic deterrents and also a protective net to block jellyfish to ensure the safety and fun of vacationers,'' said a beach management official.

While there have no reported attacks, the increasing number of dangerous sharks seen or caught has stoked fear.

Marine biologists believe the sea off Boryeong in the southwest has become a major breeding area for dangerous large sharks.

Boryeong fishermen last month caught a pregnant, three-meter hammerhead shark with babies inside.

This was just days after a two-meter great white was caught in a fishing net nearby. Great white sharks are about 1-1.5 meters long when born. The shark caught in Boryeong was a young one, confirming that great whites have been breeding there.

Korea's eastern waters have their own share of predators, too. Fishermen in Pohang, South Gyeongsang Province, caught a 1.05-meter short-fin mako shark on July 17. That was two days after a three-meter blue shark was caught further south off Ulsan.

The short-fin mako is believed to be one of the fastest and most dangerous species and has been linked to attacks in other countries.

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