Busan’s Shark ‘Bukangi’ Draws 320,000 Over Chuseok

Evening view of the narrow artificial channel at Busan's North Port waterfront park

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As of September 27, 2026, a shark that has been trapped for more than ten days in a narrow artificial channel at Busan's North Port waterfront park drew the biggest crowds of the Chuseok holiday. Nicknamed "Bukangi" by locals, the shark pulled in roughly 320,000 visitors over the three-day holiday alone.

~320,000Cumulative visitors to North Port waterfront park over the three-day Chuseok holiday

~450,000Cumulative visitors over the ten days since the shark was first spotted

3-4m (about 10-13 ft)Estimated length of the shark nicknamed Bukangi

Key points

A shark believed to be a tawny nurse shark or a type of blacktip shark, roughly 3 to 4 meters long, was first spotted in the North Port artificial channel on September 18.
Cumulative visitors to the waterfront park over the three-day Chuseok holiday reached around 320,000.
Total cumulative visitors since the shark was first spotted have climbed to the mid-400,000s over roughly ten days.
Officials plan to meet on September 28 to discuss using nets to guide the shark back out to sea.

A shark that first turned up in the narrow artificial channel at Busan's North Port waterfront park on September 18 still hasn't made it back to open water. The city has taken to calling it "Bukangi" — a nickname derived from "Bukhang," Korean for North Port — and experts believe it's a tawny nurse shark or a type of blacktip shark, roughly 3 to 4 meters (about 10 to 13 feet) long.

Crowds kept coming throughout the Chuseok holiday. More than 100,000 people showed up on the first day of the holiday alone, an even bigger crowd turned out on the holiday itself, and roughly 80,000 to 90,000 more came on the final day despite bad weather — adding up to about 320,000 visitors over the three days. Tally it from when the shark was first spotted, and cumulative visitors climb to the mid-400,000s, dozens of times the usual holiday turnout of a few thousand people a day.

The problem is that where the shark is stuck isn't fit for it to live in. The artificial channel is only a few dozen meters wide and a few meters deep, and its curved layout appears to be why the shark can't find its way back out to sea. Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science warned that the shark has been seen circling the same stretch and bumping into the walls, and that prolonged confinement could kill it. Police earlier tried using patrol boats to guide the shark out of the channel, but that effort hasn't succeeded yet.

With crowds swelling, the city of Busan, the Busan Facilities Corporation, Dong District Office, and police have been deploying dozens of staff daily for crowd and safety management — restricting access to the busiest stretches and closing off the channel area entirely at night. Officials plan to meet on September 28 to hash out a rescue plan, including using large nets to guide the shark out to open water.

In Korea right nowIn Busan, reaction has mixed surprise at the unexpected tourism boost with growing concern from environmental groups. The Busan Federation for Environmental Movement issued a statement arguing the episode shouldn't be treated as just a spectacle, but as a sign that climate change — including rising sea temperatures — is altering the migration patterns of marine life.

FAQ

What kind of shark is Bukangi?

Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science estimates it's a tawny nurse shark or a type of blacktip shark, roughly 3 to 4 meters long, believed to have chased prey into the narrow artificial channel by accident.

Why can't Bukangi get back to the sea?

Experts say the artificial channel's narrow, curved layout is likely why the shark can't find its way back out to open water.

What are officials doing about it?

The city of Busan, the National Institute of Fisheries Science, and the coast guard are meeting to consider using large nets to guide the shark back to sea, while stepping up on-site safety management in the meantime.