Busan shark ‘Bukkangi’ draws 1 million visitors as rescue efforts stall
Version 2: Cumulative visitors to the Busan park have now passed one million, the shark is still in the waterway on its 18th day as authorities wait for it to leave on its own, and newer reports add daily visitor counts, the shark's reported 3.5-metre length and its species name, while the Oct 3 daily figure is given as both 52,000 and 72,000.
In short
Cumulative visitors to Bukhang waterfront park in Dong-gu, Busan reached 1,015,800 as of 6 pm on Oct 5, 18 days after a shark nicknamed “Bukkangi” was first found in its artificial waterway, according to city figures cited by Newsis, Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily, CBS NoCut News and Hankook Ilbo. Two attempts to guide the shark back to open sea have failed, and authorities have stopped operations and are waiting for it to leave on its own while fisheries officials monitor its health because it has not been able to feed.
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Visitors to Bukhang waterfront park in Dong-gu, Busan passed 1 million on Oct 5, 18 days after the shark nicknamed “Bukkangi” was first found in the park's artificial waterway, according to figures from Busan city and the Busan Facilities Corporation cited by Newsis, Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily, CBS NoCut News and Hankook Ilbo. The reports put cumulative visitors at 1,015,800 as of 6 pm on Oct 5. [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
Daily counts rose through the Chuseok holiday from Sept 24 to 27, when Newsis reported 483,000 visits over four days and a single-day peak of 140,000 on Sept 26, against a pre-shark average of about 2,000 visitors a day, according to Korea Economic Daily, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo. Seoul Economic Daily said about 250,000 people came during the three-day holiday ending Oct 5. For Oct 3, Yonhap and Asia Economy cited 52,000 visitors as of 6 pm, while Newsis and later reports gave 72,000, and the reported daily and cumulative totals do not reconcile exactly across the outlets. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
Rescue authorities tried twice to guide the shark to open sea. Asia Economy reported that the first attempt, using vessels and water pumps, failed after five hours when the shark avoided the water jets. In a second attempt, crews towed a net about 50 metres long — which Asia Economy said was 6.8 metres high and deployed on Oct 2 — toward open sea, according to that outlet and Korea Economic Daily. On Oct 3 the tide rose and the shark crossed the net back into the waterway, several outlets reported. Authorities have since stopped operations and will wait for it to leave on its own, and the fisheries institute named in the reports is monitoring its health because it has not been able to feed. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
Busan city data cited by Yonhap and Asia Economy said the outdoor car park at Busan International Passenger Terminal was full and access was controlled from the morning, and that roads around the park were clogged with illegally parked cars and vehicles trying to enter. Walkways and footbridges near the waterway were packed, visitors waited more than an hour in the sun for a glimpse of the shark, and some foreign tourists arrived pulling suitcases. [ 2 , 4 ]
Kim, a 45-year-old visitor from Daejeon, told Yonhap his daughter had wanted to see the shark, adding that “just visiting the well-kept park in the clear weather feels great”, the report said. Asia Economy said the shark was first spotted on the morning of Sept 18, a date other reports also give. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 12 ]
Korea Economic Daily, citing virtual asset industry sources, reported that a memecoin named after the shark was issued and traded more than 800 million won in a single day. Hankook Ilbo described the shark as 3.5 metres long, and CBS NoCut News identified it by a species name, 무태상어, that other reports do not give. [ 3 , 12 , 13 ]
Why it matters
The case shows how a single animal in an urban waterway can turn a quiet park into a national attraction, with knock-on effects on local traffic and, according to one report, crypto markets. Rescue authorities stopped trying to drive the shark out and are relying on it to leave by itself, so the crowds and the monitoring look set to continue, with the documents giving no indication of when that will change.
Key facts
- Cumulative visitors to Bukhang waterfront park in Dong-gu, Busan reached 1,015,800 as of 6 pm on Oct 5, according to Busan city and Busan Facilities Corporation figures cited by Newsis, Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily, CBS NoCut News and Hankook Ilbo. [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- The shark, nicknamed “Bukkangi”, was first found in the park's artificial waterway on Sept 18 and was still there on Oct 5, its 18th day, Newsis and Asia Economy reported. [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 12 ]
- Two attempts to guide the shark to open sea failed; in the second, crews used a net about 50 metres long, which Asia Economy said was 6.8 m high and deployed on Oct 2. [ 3 , 4 ]
- On Oct 3 the tide rose and the shark crossed the net back into the waterway; authorities have since stopped operations and will wait for it to leave on its own, several reports said. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- The park normally drew about 2,000 visitors a day; the Chuseok holiday from Sept 24 to 27 drew 483,000 visits, with a single-day peak of 140,000 on Sept 26, according to Newsis and Asia Economy. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- The outdoor car park at Busan International Passenger Terminal was full and access was controlled from the morning, and roads around the park were congested with illegally parked cars and vehicles trying to enter, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Fisheries authorities are monitoring the shark's health because it has not been able to feed, the reports said. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 13 ]
- Korea Economic Daily, citing virtual asset industry sources, reported that a memecoin named after the shark was issued and traded more than 800 million won in a single day. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The shark remained in the waterway after two failed attempts to guide it out, and authorities decided to pause operations and wait for it to leave on its own. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- Cumulative visitors passed 1 million by Oct 5, with reports putting the figure at 1,015,800 as of 6 pm that day. [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- The shark was first found on Sept 18 and was still in the waterway 18 days later. [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 12 ]
- The park normally drew about 2,000 visitors a day, drew more than 100,000 on Sept 24 and peaked at 140,000 on Sept 26. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- On Oct 3 the rising tide allowed the shark to cross back into the waterway past the net set up in the second rescue attempt. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]
- Fisheries authorities are continuing to monitor the shark's health, saying it has not been able to feed. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 13 ]
- The outdoor car park at Busan International Passenger Terminal was full and entry was controlled, with congestion on roads around the park. [ 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- How many people visited the park on Oct 3. Yonhap and Asia Economy, citing Busan city, reported 52,000 as of 6 pm on Oct 3, while Newsis and later reports gave 72,000 for the same day; no document reconciles the two.
- Whether the reported daily and cumulative visitor figures add up. Newsis reported 837,800 cumulative on Oct 3 and 906,800 on Oct 4 after a daily count of 69,000, but later reports list Oct 4 at 89,000 and give a cumulative 1,015,800 on Oct 5 with an Oct 5 daily count of 89,000.
- Earlier cumulative visitor totals. Kukmin Ilbo reported 760,000 over two weeks and Korea Economic Daily more than 600,000 over about ten days, while other outlets put cumulative visitors above 800,000 at the same time, with no reconciliation.
- The shark's species and size. Only CBS NoCut News names the species (무태상어) and only Hankook Ilbo gives a length of 3.5 m, so each is a single-source detail.
- The memecoin named after the shark. Reported only by Korea Economic Daily, citing virtual asset industry sources, with no second outlet or official confirmation.
- The name of the institute monitoring the shark. Reports give the institute's name differently — 국립수산과학원 in Seoul Economic Daily and 국립과학수산원 in Yonhap, Asia Economy and Hankook Ilbo.
- How long the shark will stay and what happens next. The documents say only that authorities will wait for it to leave by itself and that health monitoring continues.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo reports that 760,000 people have visited Busan North Port over two weeks (Oct 3). [ 1 ]
- The net installed after the second rescue attempt is removed to leave a passage for the shark to reach open sea (Oct 3). [ 2 ]
- Busan city says 52,000 people visited the park as of 6 pm and cumulative visitors passed 800,000 (Oct 3). [ 2 , 4 ]
- Yonhap reports the shark is still in the waterway, the terminal car park is full and entry controlled, and roads around the park are congested (Oct 4). [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports the second rescue attempt has effectively returned to its starting point and that a memecoin tied to the shark traded more than 800 million won in a day (Oct 4). [ 3 ]
- Asia Economy reports cumulative visitors above 800,000, states the shark was first spotted on the morning of Sept 18, and details the two failed rescue attempts (Oct 4). [ 4 ]
- Yonhap reports cumulative visitors to the park have passed 1 million (Oct 5). [ 8 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports cumulative visitors of 1,015,800 as of 6 pm, including 89,000 on Oct 5, and about 250,000 over the three-day holiday (Oct 5). [ 11 ]