Stranded Shark in Busan Attracts Over 600,000 Visitors

A shark stranded in a canal in the northern port city of Busan, South Korea, has become a significant tourist attraction. The shark was first spotted in a narrow waterway in Busan's North Port on September 18. Reports suggest it may be a type of requiem shark, possibly a bull shark or a bronze whaler, measuring approximately 3.5 meters (around 11 feet, 6 inches) long. Nicknamed 'Bukangi,' after the Korean name for North Port, the shark has drawn around 600,000 visitors in the past two weeks. During the four-day Chuseok bank holiday weekend, nearly half a million people visited the waterfront park where the shark is located, compared to an average of about 2,000 visitors on weekends. Busan's Mayor Chun Jae-soo acknowledged the publicity generated by the shark, which would have cost the city 'trillions' otherwise. Local media reported increased sales of shark-shaped ice creams at nearby stores. The city designated the shark as an honorary ambassador after 91% of participants in a social media poll supported the idea. Shares in the Pinkfong Company, known for the viral 'Baby Shark' song, reportedly rose by around 7% amid the attention. A rescue operation earlier this week was unsuccessful, as the Coast Guard and other agencies attempted to guide the shark back to sea using jets of water, but the shark evaded the streams. A fresh attempt using a net to guide the shark out is planned for Friday. This incident follows other recent animal celebrity phenomena in South Korea, including a young wolf that escaped from a zoo in April and a beached humpback whale in Germany earlier this year.