A 3.5-meter gray shark that swam into a canal in South Korea's biggest port city on September 18 has become an honorary mascot, a social media sensation and a tourism draw while crews try to coax it back to open water.
The big picture: About 600,000 people have come to see the shark since September 19, including nearly half a million over the Chuseok holiday break, the city said. Officials named it Bukangi, after the Korean name for the North Port where it was first spotted.
- On Tuesday five vessels sprayed water from tanks to drive it toward the sea, with huge crowds watching on site and on a YouTube stream. The shark repeatedly swam past or dived under the boats, and the crews stopped hours later.
What's next: The state-run National Institute of Fisheries Science is building a net at least 50 meters long to funnel the shark toward the exit while a boat sprays water from behind, city official Kim Won-ho said. The next attempt could come as early as Friday.
Why it matters: A city that could have treated a shark in its harbor as a hazard turned it into a civic event, and 600,000 visitors in two weeks is a tourism number marketing budgets dream about. Officials see no clear signs the shark's health has declined, but experts say getting it out matters for its long-term safety.
