'Buchang-i' guided out of canal, but shark lingers near entrance

A third attempt to guide a shark out of an artificial canal at Busan's North Port waterfront park has cleared its first hurdle, with the animal finally pushed beyond the waterway where it had been living for about a month.

Authorities from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the city of Busan, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea and the National Institute of Fisheries Science launched a guiding operation Wednesday to return "Buchang-i" to the sea, and succeeded in moving the shark out of the canal, according to Yonhap.

The operation began around 10 a.m., with officials using nets to herd Buchang-i from the area between the fourth and fifth pedestrian bridges toward Marina Bridge. A net was laid about 60 meters from the canal exit. The shark, which had been circling in front of the net, was spotted around 6 p.m. in the waters off Pier 1 — outside the canal.

Buchang-i had cleared the canal, at least for the moment. However, the waters off Pier 1 are not considered open sea, and officials said they could not rule out the possibility that the shark might turn back toward the net.

In practice, Buchang-i was seen moving back and forth near the Marina Bridge exit while circling the area, suggesting it had not fully committed to leaving.

Authorities said they expect the shark to make its way to open sea on its own over time now that it is outside the canal.

Buchang-i was first spotted in the waterfront park canal on Sept. 18.

The roughly 3-meter shark quickly became a local attraction, drawing large crowds eager to catch a glimpse. Cumulative visitors to the waterfront park recently surpassed 1.6 million.

After two failed attempts to guide the shark out, authorities had waited for it to leave on its own. But with water temperatures dropping and the risk of the shark dying rising, they launched Wednesday's third operation.

Crowds gathered around the canal cheered Buchang-i on, calling out "Goodbye," "Stay healthy" and "Now go to the sea," Yonhap reported.

Still, news that Buchang-i had not made a clean break left some residents disheartened. "It makes me sad that it can't just shake it all off and go for good," said a 36-year-old Busan resident surnamed Lee. "Whatever happens, I hope Buchang-i is happy."

The shark's fame even reached the National Assembly, where it came up during a national audit session.

At a national audit of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries held at its Busan offices on Oct. 12, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Sang-hwi said Buchang-i's appearance in Busan was no mere curiosity. "Experts have analyzed that the blacktip shark Buchang-i came to Busan's North Port because of warm-water fish species — bluefin tuna and mackerel — that serve as its prey," Lee said, adding that the shark's presence pointed to broader changes in Korea's seas.

Lee also flagged the rapid transformation of the marine ecosystem, noting that South Korea's surface sea temperature had risen 1.8 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years, driving sharp changes in ocean conditions and fish populations. "If we leave this situation unaddressed, shark sightings off Busan could become routine, so an appropriate response seems necessary," he said.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Seo Sam-seok, who chairs the Assembly's agriculture, food, rural affairs, oceans and fisheries committee, said shark appearances were not a new phenomenon but that responsible agencies had consistently responded after the fact. "There has been virtually no advance detection or research on the matter," Seo said, calling for a review of whether information on overseas response cases was being properly shared among relevant ministries and research institutions, and whether a proper statistical framework for tracking shark appearances was in place.

Democratic Party lawmaker Yun Jun-byeong said he hoped Buchang-i would "return alive to the wide open sea," while also raising concerns about the illegal capture of whales designated as protected marine species.