Shark Stranded in South Korean Canal Attracts 600,000 Visitors as Rescue Efforts Fail

A 3.5-metre (11.5-foot) shark stranded in a canal in Busan, South Korea, has attracted about 600,000 visitors over the past two weeks, turning the animal into an unexpected national attraction.

The shark was first spotted in a narrow waterway at Busan’s North Port on September 18. Authorities attempted to guide it back to the open sea on Tuesday by using vessels to spray water behind it, but the operation failed.

Officials now plan to use a net on Friday in another attempt to lead the shark out of the canal.

The shark, believed to be a bronze whaler, has been nicknamed “Bukangi”, a name derived from “Buk Hang,” the Korean name for North Port, and the Korean suffix “-i.”

During South Korea’s four-day Chuseok holiday, around 480,000 people visited the waterfront park where the shark was stranded. This compares with the park’s usual weekend average of about 2,000 visitors per day.

The shark’s popularity has grown so much that Busan city declared it an honorary public relations ambassador on Tuesday. A poll on the city’s official Instagram account reportedly received 91% approval from about 8,000 participants.

South Korea has previously experienced other unusual animal-related incidents that attracted widespread public attention, including a wolf that escaped from a zoo earlier this year and inspired a cryptocurrency meme coin.

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