About 600,000 visitors have flocked to Busan’s North Port to see Bukangi, a shark trapped in a canal. The effort to return it to open sea has become a major public attraction. Officials estimate the gray shark is about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long. Bukangi first appeared at the port on Sept. 18, 2026.
The rescue effort
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, authorities sent five vessels and sprayed water from tanks, hoping to guide Bukangi toward the sea. Crowds watched from the port, and YouTube carried a broadcast of the operation. Hours later, crews called off the attempt. The shark repeatedly swam past the boats or dived to avoid them, and it stayed in the canal.
The failed attempt hasn’t ended plans to move the animal. Kim Won-ho, a Busan City official, said another try could happen as early as Friday. The state-run National Institute of Fisheries Science is making a specially designed net at least 50 meters (54 yards) long.
Under tentative plans, one boat would stretch the net across the waterway and channel the shark toward the exit. A second boat would spray water from behind, pushing it toward the opening. That’s still a proposed effort to guide Bukangi out of the canal, not a rescue that has already succeeded.
Officials said they hadn’t detected clear signs that the shark’s health had deteriorated. Even so, they consider releasing it important for its safety and long-term health. For now, the animal remains in the canal as authorities prepare for another possible attempt.
A public attraction at North Port
Officials began counting visitors on Sept. 19. Since then, about 600,000 people have come to North Port to see Bukangi, including nearly half a million during the previous week’s Chuseok holiday break, which is Korean Thanksgiving. Those figures count visits to the port to see the shark; they don’t include a separate tally of online viewers.
Bukangi has also become a social media sensation. The Sept. 29 operation streamed on YouTube, bringing the effort to guide the shark toward the sea to online viewers as well as people watching in person.
Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo described the shark’s place in the city’s public story in a statement: “Bukangi has naturally become a new part of Busan’s story with the interest and love of the city’s people.” The statement tied Bukangi’s new local profile to the attention it has received from people in Busan.
Kim said officials were changing their approach after seeing what happened during the attempt. “We’re adapting our response to the situation on site,” he said. The proposed net and possible use of a second boat reflect the next approach under consideration. Officials continue to say the shark’s release matters for its safety and long-term health.