Busan Shark Returns to Canal Hours After Officials Guide It Out

A shark that had spent more than a month in a canal in Busan returned to the waterway only hours after officials managed to guide it out, complicating efforts to move the animal toward open water before temperatures fall further.

The shark, nicknamed Bukang-i after Bukhang, the Korean name for Busan’s North Port, was seen Thursday morning in a narrow section between a floating platform near the canal exit and a net installed as a second barrier. Observers said it may have passed underneath the floating platform, or pontoon, to re-enter the canal.

Municipal and Coast Guard personnel had carried out a third effort to guide the shark away on Wednesday after two previous attempts failed. The joint team used a net secured to a pontoon to steer the animal toward the canal’s exit. At about 6 p.m., Bukang-i was spotted in waters near a pier outside the canal, although that area is not regarded as open sea. Visitors later reported seeing the shark back inside the canal at around 11 p.m.

Bukang-i was first spotted in the canal on Sept. 18. Officials initially waited for the animal to leave on its own after earlier intervention attempts proved unsuccessful. They renewed efforts to move it because of concern that the shark could die if water temperatures continued to decline.

The unusual visitor has also transformed the canal park into a popular attraction. More than 1.6 million people had visited the site as of Sunday, underscoring the public attention generated by the shark’s extended stay. Its return now leaves authorities balancing that intense interest with the need to manage the animal safely and prevent it from becoming trapped as seasonal conditions change.

The latest development shows that moving Bukang-i beyond the canal’s immediate exit may require stronger safeguards against re-entry. The platform and backup net did not keep the shark outside the waterway overnight, and officials will have to reassess the route and barriers if they attempt another relocation. The episode also highlights the difficulty of directing a free-swimming marine animal through a developed urban waterway without harming it. No further operation or timetable was announced in the report.