Busan’s Giant Shark Rescue: City Embraces Trapped Mascot ‘Bukangi’ as New Efforts Underway

SEOUL, South Korea — A massive gray shark named Bukangi has become an unlikely celebrity and honorary mascot in South Korea’s largest port city, where it has been trapped in a canal for nearly two weeks.

Local authorities in Busan have embraced the global attention surrounding the giant creature, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city’s North Port since it was first spotted on September 18. The shark, measuring approximately 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) in length, has become a social media sensation, though the task of guiding it back to the open sea has proven challenging.

In an initial rescue attempt last Tuesday, officials deployed five vessels into the waterway, spraying water from tanks in an effort to herd the shark toward the ocean. Despite close monitoring by massive crowds and a live broadcast on YouTube, the operation was called off after the shark repeatedly swam past or dove to evade the boats, remaining within the canal.

Kim Won-ho, a Busan City official, announced that authorities plan to launch another rescue attempt as early as Friday. The state-run National Institute of Fisheries Science is currently constructing a specially designed giant net, measuring over 50 meters (54 yards) in length, to be stretched across the waterway. The plan involves using one boat to block the canal with the net and another to spray water from behind, gently pushing the shark toward the exit.

“We’re adapting our response to the situation on site,” Kim noted. While officials have reported no clear signs of health deterioration for the trapped shark, they emphasize that releasing it into the open sea remains crucial for its long-term survival and well-being.

The phenomenon has drawn an estimated 600,000 visitors to the North Port since monitoring began on September 19, including nearly half a million during the recent Chuseok holiday period. “Bukangi has naturally become a new part of Busan’s story with the interest and love of the city’s people,” Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo stated.

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