Giant Shark Spotted in Busan’s Bukhang Canal

A bridge crossing a sunset-lit urban waterway at a Busan harbor park.

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As of September 21, 2026, a large shark has been repeatedly spotted since mid-September in the canal at Bukhang Friendly Park in Busan's Dong-gu district, drawing crowds of onlookers. The National Institute of Fisheries Science believes it's likely a tawny nurse shark, and authorities are monitoring the situation rather than attempting a forced capture, urging visitors to stay safe.

About 30,000Estimated visitors to Bukhang Friendly Park over the weekend

3–3.5 m (10–11.5 ft)Estimated length of the shark

Key points

The shark was first spotted the morning of Sept. 18 in the waterfront canal at Busan's Bukhang Friendly Park in Dong-gu, with further sightings on Sept. 19 and 20.
It's estimated at roughly 3 meters (about 10 feet) long; the National Institute of Fisheries Science believes it's likely a tawny nurse shark (mutae-sangeo), part of the requiem shark family.
Word spread on social media, and tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the site over the weekend — the shark has even earned a nickname.
Coast Guard officials halted an attempt to guide the shark back out to open water, worried that pushing it could provoke aggressive behavior.

News that a large shark had turned up in the canal running through Busan's Bukhang Friendly Park in Dong-gu has turned the waterfront into an unlikely tourist draw. The first sighting came on the morning of Sept. 18; a similar shark showed up two more times after that, though officials haven't confirmed whether it's the same animal each time.

Based on photos and video, experts lean toward identifying the animal as a tawny nurse shark, known in Korean as mutae-sangeo, from the requiem shark family. Officials say rising sea temperatures have drawn more warm-water species into the area recently, and that a shark chasing prey may have wandered into the canal by chance.

As footage spread online, visitors from other parts of the country joined the crowds, and the scene turned chaotic. Railings and bridges around the canal filled with people holding up phones, and nearby cafes and parking lots did brisk business as a result.

Authorities initially sent out rescue boats and patrol vessels to try to steer the shark back out to open water, but called off the effort out of concern that forcing it could trigger aggressive behavior. Since then, the approach has shifted to watching and waiting for the shark to leave on its own, while the local government keeps sending out safety alerts warning people to keep their distance from the water.

In Korea right nowTrending in Korea right now — a shark showing up in a downtown canal has been a huge conversation starter on Korean online communities and social media. Reactions range from 'it's like a natural aquarium' to real safety concerns, but posts from people who made a weekend trip just to see it for themselves keep piling up.