Rescue bid for South Korea's celebrity shark 'Bukangi' fails as 600,000 flock to Busan canal

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026.

A 3.5-metre bronze whaler shark stranded in a narrow waterway in Busan's North Port since September 18 has defeated a major rescue attempt, with authorities now planning a net operation on Friday. Coast Guard vessels sprayed water jets to propel it toward open ocean on Tuesday, but the shark swam the wrong way. Busan has since declared it an honorary public relations ambassador after a city Instagram poll returned 91% approval.

During last weekend's four-day Chuseok holiday alone, 480,000 people visited the waterfront park — against a normal weekend average of around 2,000.

The shark has been nicknamed 'Bukangi', derived from 'Buk Hang', the Korean name for North Port, and the Korean suffix '-i'.

Authorities plan a net operation on Friday as the next attempt to guide it back to open ocean.