Oil spill near Busan's North Port raises alarm over missing shark 'Bukang-i'

An oil spill occurred Friday near the waterfront park at Busan's North Port, where Bukang-i — the shark that has become a local celebrity — has been swimming.

According to the Busan Maritime Police Station, a report of an oil spill came in around noon near the marina bridge exit of the artificial waterway at the waterfront park, and coast guard officers were dispatched to the scene.

The oil slick was estimated to measure about 10 meters wide and 30 meters long.

The coast guard has launched a cleanup operation, deploying pollution-response vessels.

Bukang-i was spotted Friday morning inside the waterway exit of the waterfront park. The shark has not been seen for four to five hours since.

Some analysts have suggested that Bukang-i, which has highly developed sensory organs, may have dived deep and gone into a sustained submersive swim in response to the oil spill.

After spending roughly a month in the waterfront park's waterway, Bukang-i was guided out of the channel on Wednesday through a third attempt by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan city and other relevant authorities — only to slip back in through a gap in the containment barrier late that night.

Authorities installed a double net on the second containment barrier the following day to prevent the shark from moving further inside.

Bukang-i then ventured back out of the waterway and was seen swimming in the waters off North Port's Pier 1, expanding its range.

Authorities said they believe Bukang-i is adapting to its new environment and have decided to wait until it makes its way out to the open sea on its own.

Bukang-i, a female blacktip shark measuring about 3 meters in length, was first spotted in the waterfront park's waterway on Sept. 18.

Crowds flocked to watch the large shark swim freely, and Bukang-i quickly became a Busan attraction.

Cumulative visitors to the waterfront park recently surpassed 1.6 million, and the influx of people brought a boom to nearby cafes, convenience stores and other businesses in the area.

Busan city officially designated Bukang-i as the city's honorary public relations ambassador.

Before the chuseok holiday, the city held a public poll on its official Instagram account asking residents whether Bukang-i should be named honorary ambassador. More than 8,200 people participated, with 91 percent voting in favor.

Bukang-i has also been mentioned multiple times at the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee national audit, held at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries building in Busan.