(LEAD) Busan shark-visitors

▲ Visitors watch Bukang-i, a shark trapped in a narrow canal, swim at a waterfront park in the southeastern city of Busan on Sept. 27, 2026, the last day of the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

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BUSAN, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- The Busan city government said Monday it will launch a rescue operation this week for a 3.5-meter shark trapped in a local canal at a waterfront park in the southeastern port city.

The shark was first spotted Sept. 18 in a narrow canal at Busan's North Port. Affectionately named Bukang-i -- a combination of Bukhang, or North Port, and the Korean suffix "i" -- the marine animal has drawn 568,800 visitors since Sept. 19, according to the Busan Infrastructure Corp.

The city government held a meeting with relevant authorities earlier Monday and decided to use vessels and water pumps to guide Bukang-i out of the park, starting 10 a.m. Tuesday, as staying longer in the channel could gradually weaken its stamina.

If the method fails, authorities said they plan to guide the shark to the outer sea by using a net custom-made to fit the width and depth of the artificial waterway.

The shark's activity and respiration level remain stable, according to a field inspection conducted by the National Institute of Fisheries Science.

Public interest spiked dramatically during the Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, with 483,000 visitors flocking to the waterfront park over four days: 101,000 on Thursday, 136,000 on Friday, 140,000 the following day and 106,000 on Sunday. These figures represent a fiftyfold increase compared with the park's usual daily average of about 2,000 visitors during holidays.

Initially, local maritime police and authorities tried to drive the shark away. The animal, however, refused to leave the channel, prompting officials to suspend their operations.

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