A shark that appeared in an artificial canal at Busan's North Port waterfront park has drawn more than 100,000 visitors on the first day of the Chuseok holiday, becoming a national sensation under the nickname "Bukangi."
The Busan Infrastructure Corporation estimated on the 25th that cumulative visitors to the waterfront park reached about 93,000 as of 6 p.m. on the 24th, the first day of the holiday. That is more than 50 times the roughly 2,000 visitors the park normally receives on a holiday. To prevent accidents, the Busan city government restricts access around the waterfront park canal from 6 p.m. each day until 6 a.m. the following morning. Including visitors after the restriction took effect, total attendance reached 102,000.
Nearby convenience stores and cafes see windfall
The shark, discovered at North Port and given the pet name "Bukangi," has emerged as a nationwide attraction. Busan Station sits about 500 meters from the waterfront park, close enough that travelers heading home for the holiday have also streamed in. As crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the 3.5-meter shark, nearby convenience stores and cafes have enjoyed an unexpected boom.
When traffic in the area came to a standstill that afternoon, the city sent out a safety alert. "Severe congestion is occurring in the area around the waterfront park," the city said, urging people to "use public transportation instead of cars."
The shark, first spotted on the 18th of this month, has now stayed in the canal for eight days. Crowds are expected again on the 25th, the day of Chuseok itself. Busan and other authorities plan to wait through the holiday to see whether the shark returns to the sea on its own, and to prepare a rescue plan if it remains.
"Shark marketing" takes off
Companies and local governments, meanwhile, have rushed to capitalize on the shark.
According to the retail industry, Ediya Coffee recently posted on its official social media accounts a message playing on the Korean word for shark while telling customers to enjoy a cup of coffee and keep a safe distance. Sales at Ediya Coffee's North Port Waterfront Park branch have jumped sharply since the shark appeared.
Blue Shark, a Busan-based coffee brand, also ran a social media event saying it was "looking for Blue Shark's friend that has appeared in Busan." It is giving 5,000-won gift vouchers to 500 people who post photos of the North Port shark alongside one of its drinks and follow its official account.
Busan Aquarium drew more than 20,000 likes with an Instagram post saying its own sharks were just as pretty. The aquarium said that while its sharks are a different species from the one now in the spotlight, it has a variety of sharks in its tanks, and it promoted its 2 p.m. shark feeding show. Daesun Brewery also posted an AI-generated video of a shark swimming through the canal while holding a bottle of its Daesun soju.
Local governments have joined in as well. Busan's Dong District plans to designate the shark as its official mascot and will soon open a public contest for the character's name, appearance and backstory.
"An unexpected encounter brought by a single shark has become an occasion to introduce North Port to the whole country," Dong District Mayor Kang Chul-ho said. "We will make the shark the district's mascot and use it to boost marine tourism." Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, appearing on a radio program, said he would "turn this into a once-in-a-century opportunity to introduce Busan's North Port to the world."
