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.
Busan officials named the shark Bukangi, after the Korean name for the city's North Port where it was first spotted. About 600,000 people have come to see it since September 19, including nearly half a million over the Chuseok holiday break, the city said.
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.
The state-run National Institute of Fisheries Science is building a net at least 50 meters long to stretch across the waterway and 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.
Officials have seen no clear signs the shark's health has declined, but experts say getting it out matters for its long-term safety. "Bukangi has naturally become a new part of Busan's story," Mayor Chun Jae-soo said.