Asiaupdated 1h ago3 min read
Busan Authorities Seek New Rescue Method After Bukangi Slips Back Into South Korean Canal
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Dusky shark Bukangi spent over a month trapped in Busan's North Port canal. Rescue teams conducted three attempts to guide it back to open sea.
Save coverage image
Where the coverage agrees
Explore source coverage 2 source types
Directory totals describe our source library, not outlets checked for this story.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Sri Lanka Suffers Islandwide Power Outage After Upper Kotmale Power Station Breakdown →
Bukangi slips back
Busan authorities and South Korea’s Oceans and Fisheries Ministry sought a new way to free the huge dusky shark nicknamed Bukangi after it slipped back into a narrow canal, with officials saying it was critical for the shark’s safety and health. Lee Gwang-seok, an official with the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry, said Bukangi was unlikely to slip past more barriers and move farther up the canal, considering the density of the nets and the narrow waterway in that section. Workers had herded the shark out of the canal the day before, after weeks of trial and error, only for it to swim right back in hours later.
The shark became stuck between an outer barrier net installed on a floating platform and a second net about 50 meters into the mouth of the canal, while on-site inspectors and rescuers debated ways to guide it back out as the shark circled the small patch of water. Kim Hyun-woo, a senior researcher at South Korea’s National Institute of Fisheries Science, said, “The shark has been staying inside the canal for an extended period, so I didn’t expect it to head straight out into the open water.”
Third attempt succeeds
Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo said the shark finally swam out to sea Wednesday as officials in the South Korean port city of Busan succeeded in the third attempt to free the animal.
AP described officials using a floating platform to herd the 3-meter-long female dusky shark, nicknamed Bukang-i, along the canal for hours until it lingered at the canal’s mouth and then swam to sea.
Bukangi was guided back into the open sea on Wednesday after two failed rescue attempts, and the shark was first spotted in a narrow waterway on September 18.
The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Bukangi’s stay was unusual because the narrow canal lies near high-rise buildings and a major high-speed rail station in central Busan.
Lee Min-jeung, a 39-year-old travel content creator from Seoul, said, “I'm relieved that it seems to have returned to the sea,” and she added, “Goodbye. Don't get sick.”
Health, monitoring, and stakes
The Oceans Ministry considered the third rescue attempt a success because the goal was not to force Bukangi all the way into the sea but to guide it to a point where it could swim out on its own. The ministry plans to closely monitor whether Bukangi swims the remaining distance on its own, after rescuers guided the shark more than 1 kilometer through the waterway and installed three layers of netting. Bukangi had been circling back repeatedly to the mouth of the waterway after being guided out on Wednesday, and authorities reinforced barriers to prevent Bukangi from returning.
“This shark has made this canal her home, and we are kicking her out unnecessarily.”
Cho Hannah, who traveled for two hours from her home in North Gyeongsang province, said, “This shark has made this canal her home, and we are kicking her out unnecessarily.” Authorities tried to guide Bukangi out on September 29 and October 2 but both attempts were unsuccessful, and the operation was deemed necessary because the shark had not been observed feeding and falling temperatures could affect its health.