CU sales near North Port up 48.6%; shark-themed products fly off shelves
![Residents photograph a shark spotted in the waterway of Busan North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu on Sunday. The shark, first seen at the site on Friday, has been circling the park's waterway and has yet to leave. Busan city officials sent safety alerts to residents, but crowds flocked to the park over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the animal, turning the area into a bustling scene. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/22/rcv.YNA.20260920.PYH2026092014590005100_P1.jpg)
A shark sighting at Busan's North Port has sent nearby convenience stores and cafes into a frenzy, with sales of shark-themed snacks surging particularly sharply.
A roughly 3.5-meter shark appeared Friday at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, drawing large crowds to the area. The shark has refused to leave despite efforts to drive it away. Busan city officials said visitor numbers at the waterfront park over the past weekend were four to five times higher than usual.
CU said Tuesday that sales of Jaws Bar ice cream at its Dong-gu stores in Busan rose 28.4% in the Saturday-to-Monday period after the shark was spotted, compared with the same days the previous week. Sales of Whale Snack climbed 21.6%, while products tied to the Pinkfong Baby Shark brand jumped 33.3%. The surge was not limited to Busan — across all CU stores nationwide, Jaws Bar sales rose 12.5%, Whale Snack 10.5% and Baby Shark products 13.9% over the same period.
Overall sales at the CU store nearest the waterfront park climbed 48.6% compared with the previous week. Portable battery sales soared 815.5%, while ready-to-eat food sales rose 166.2%, bottled water 55.0% and ice 46.3%.
Nearby cafes have also cashed in on the shark craze. Ediya Coffee's Busan North Port Waterfront Park branch has been so overwhelmed with customers that it has picked up the nickname "Ediya Jaws Branch" online, with jokes circulating that "the Ediya owner released the shark." Posts have appeared on social media from visitors saying they waited more than an hour just to order an Americano.
siuu@heraldcorp.com
