A total of 201,000 people visited Busan's North Port over two days of the Chuseok holiday to see "Bukangi," a shark spotted in an artificial waterway there.
The Busan Infrastructure Corporation said 100,000 people visited the waterfront park at North Port between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the 25th. The count covers the period before access to the waterway's edge was restricted to prevent nighttime accidents.
On the 24th, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, 93,000 people visited during the same hours, and the full-day tally through midnight reached 101,000. That brings the two-day total to 201,000.
Visitors have been flocking to the site to catch a glimpse of the shark, first seen in the park's artificial waterway on the 18th. As images spread on social media, the shark picked up the nickname "Bukangi," and people began sharing prime viewing spots and sighting accounts online.
In response, the Busan city government has stepped up safety management around the fourth and fifth pedestrian bridges and the waterfront, where crowds are heaviest. The coast guard and fire authorities are patrolling the area twice a day to support on-site response. The city plans to close off sections of the site or usher visitors out if crowds grow excessive.
The National Institute of Fisheries Science believes the shark has been unable to find its way out because the waterway curves. At 3.5 meters long, the shark is unlikely to remain in the narrow channel for an extended period. The city and the institute plan to build a net and move the shark out to open sea if it does not exit the waterway by the end of the Chuseok holiday.
