BUSAN — A shark measuring three to four meters long has been spotted in a waterway at the North Port waterfront park in Busan's Dong District, prompting an emergency response by the coast guard. With the shark approaching a waterway next to a pedestrian promenade, the Busan city government also sent out a safety alert text message urging residents to stay away from the water's edge.
The Busan Coast Guard Station said a passerby reported seeing a shark in the North Port waterfront park waterway at about 8:57 a.m. on the 18th. The coast guard deployed the Central Special Sea Rescue Team, a coastal rescue boat and patrol vessels to the scene, and requested support from the fire authorities and other related agencies.
The waterway is connected to the sea, and the shark is believed to have entered from open water. The shark, estimated at three to four meters in length, was reported to have come as close as the waterway near the pedestrian promenade.
Following a recommendation from the National Institute of Fisheries Science, the coast guard is trying to guide the shark back out to open sea rather than capture it. "Since the shark could turn aggressive, we ask that residents refrain from approaching the water's edge at the waterfront park in case of any danger," a coast guard official said.
The Busan city government also used a safety alert text message to notify residents of the shark sighting and urged people walking in the waterfront park and those living nearby to take precautions.
