'Don't throw raw chicken': Expert warns against provoking shark spotted in Busan canal

A shark expert says the animal that has been lingering in a canal at Busan's North Port Waterfront Park for five days likely followed prey into the waterway, but warned that provoking it — including by throwing food — could trigger an attack.

Choi Yoon, a professor of marine bioresources at Gunsan University and a shark specialist, said in an interview Tuesday on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" that the shark "appears to have followed its prey into the canal while hunting" and that such occurrences "can happen frequently overseas."

Choi identified the shark as a species of dusky shark, describing it as "very common along Korea's southern coast and around Jeju Island." He added that the animal feeds on yellowtail and is believed to have traveled up to Busan from waters around Jeju Island as sea temperatures warmed.

On the question of danger, Choi said that while documented cases of human injury from dusky sharks are not numerous, the possibility of an attack cannot be entirely ruled out. "Attacks often occur when a person provokes the shark first," he said. "If you get close and agitate it, you could be attacked."

Regarding an incident in which a member of the public was stopped from throwing a raw chicken into the canal, Choi said it was "far better not to throw anything — that could also be a form of provocation." He noted that dusky sharks in the wild eat fish, not meat or food thrown by humans.

Asked whether tossing fish such as sardines would be acceptable, Choi said the shark "won't eat dead things in this kind of environment." He added that while a hungry shark might eventually accept such offerings, there is currently enough natural prey in the canal. "There is food available in its natural state right now," he said.

Choi also pushed back against speculation that a smaller fish spotted separately in the canal could be the shark's offspring. "Dusky sharks give birth to 10 to 20 pups at a time," he said. "The single small individual moving around — it does look like a shark at a glance — but I don't think it's a pup born from this shark."

The shark, measuring 3 to 4 meters in length, first appeared in the canal at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong-gu on Friday and has remained there despite efforts to drive it away, becoming an unlikely local celebrity. An average of around 10,000 people a day have flocked to the site, generating what observers are calling a "shark boom" for nearby businesses.

The animal has been given the nickname "Bukang-i," a play on the name of Busan's North Port, and has even inspired a wave of self-styled "shark moms" — members of the public expressing concern over whether it is being fed. "Shouldn't someone throw it a few mackerel? What is the city of Busan doing?" some have posted online.

Amid the growing public attention, authorities are monitoring the shark's movements and waiting for it to find its own way back out to sea. The city of Busan has sent safety alerts urging the public to exercise caution near the waterfront.