'Bukangyi' rescue attempt called off again as shark refuses to leave Busan waterway

A second attempt to rescue Bukangyi, a shark that has been lingering in an artificial waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Busan for two weeks, was called off Friday after authorities failed to guide the animal out of the channel.

Officials decided, on the recommendation of the National Institute of Fisheries Science, to wait for the shark to leave on its own. An earlier plan to use a water pump from a vessel behind the net to push the shark out was scrapped to avoid agitating it.

The Busan Maritime Police and the National Institute of Fisheries Science guided Bukangyi to near the channel exit, fixed the net in place and waited for the shark to swim out — advancing the net slightly whenever the shark moved away and pausing whenever it approached. But the shark showed no sign of wanting to leave, circling near the net and pressing up against it as if searching for a gap.

When Bukangyi stopped swimming toward the exit and held its position near the net, authorities suspended the operation at around 5:35 p.m. and secured the net in place — about 150 meters inside the channel outlet. The net is believed to have snagged on the channel floor, preventing it from being pushed any further.

Meanwhile, the second rescue operation began at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, three days after the first attempt failed Tuesday. Unlike the first attempt, which relied on water pumps, crews this time installed a large blocking net — 50 meters long and 6.8 meters tall — near the fourth pedestrian bridge inside the channel and moved it toward the fifth pedestrian bridge to herd Bukangyi toward the exit.

Heavy weights were attached to the bottom of the net to minimize the gap between the net and the channel floor, preventing the shark from doubling back into the waterway — but the effort ultimately fell short. The agencies involved said they would hold follow-up strategy meetings to decide whether to resume release efforts and whether to remove the net.