{
  "id": 10904338,
  "title": "South Korea: Lost shark draws over half a million visitors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/south-korea-lost-shark-draws-over-half-a-million-visitors",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T09:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/south-korea-lost-shark-draws-over-half-a-million-visitors/a-79482014?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A great white shark washed up in a canal in Busan, South Korea, and quickly became a viral sensation. Stranded since September 18, the shark, nicknamed Bukangi, has attracted over half a million visitors in just two weeks. The massive 3.5-meter-long creature, possibly a bull or bronze whaler shark, has drawn crowds to the waterfront park, surpassing the site's usual weekend visitor count of 2,000. Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo credited the shark for free publicity worth billions. The city named the shark an honorary ambassador, following a social media poll where 91% of participants supported the idea. Shark-shaped ice cream sales and Pinkfong's Baby Shark-related shares soared due to the hype. Despite attempts to guide the shark back to sea with water jets and nets, it has remained stranded. South Korea has seen its fair share of animal celebrity craze before, including a young wolf that escaped from a zoo last April.",
  "summary": "The South Korean port of Busan says that a stranded shark has drawn in more than half a million visitors in recent weeks. It's also named the stranded predator an honorary ambassador to the city.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Shark stranded in South Korean canal draws 600,000 visitors as rescue bid fails",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/shark-stranded-in-south-korean-canal-draws-600-000-visitors-as-rescue",
        "published": "2026-09-30T06:48:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "South Korea embraces a huge shark slowly circling a canal in the country’s biggest port city",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/south-korea-embraces-a-huge-shark-slowly-circling-a-canal-in-the",
        "published": "2026-09-30T07:25:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "South Korea calls for apology from North Korea after mine injures three soldiers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/south-korea-calls-for-apology-from-north-korea-after-mine-injures",
        "published": "2026-09-30T07:53:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "South Korea: Lost shark draws over half a million visitors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/south-korea-lost-shark-draws-over-half-a-million-visitors-10905672",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:07:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "VnExpress International",
        "title": "Lost shark becomes viral star in South Korea, boosts sales and named ambassador",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/lost-shark-becomes-viral-star-in-south-korea-boosts-sales-and-named",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:13:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Tensions mount as South Korea demands apology from North over mine blast",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/tensions-mount-as-south-korea-demands-apology-from-north-over-mine",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:14:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}