Shark fever hits Busan as 102,000 rush to see 'Bukangi' at start of Chuseok break
More than 100,000 people flocked to a waterfront park at Busan’s North Port on Wednesday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shark nicknamed “Bukangi” that has been spotted in a canal there. The turnout was about 50 times the park’s usual holiday visitor count. According to the Busan Facilities Corporation on Thursday, approximately 93,000 people had visited the…
More than 102,000 individuals swarmed a waterfront park in Busan's North Port on the opening day of the Chuseok holiday, eager to catch a glimpse of the shark dubbed "Bukangi" that had been sighted in a nearby canal. The influx of visitors was approximately 50 times higher than the usual holiday attendance for the park in Dong District.
According to the Busan Facilities Corporation, around 93,000 people had already visited the waterfront park by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with an estimated total of about 102,000 visitors throughout the day. The park normally draws about 2,000 visitors on holiday periods. The shark, which was sighted at North Port and nicknamed Bukangi, has become a local sensation, attracting a significant crowd even during the holiday season.
Situated just 500 meters from Busan Station and easily accessible on foot, the waterfront park was bustling with activity on Wednesday afternoon. In response to the overwhelming number of visitors, the Busan Metropolitan City issued a safety alert, urging people to avoid driving and instead utilize public transportation to manage the congestion in the area.
To ensure everyone's safety, the city initiated further restrictions to regulate the flow of people in and around the park.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
