Why Bukangi the Shark Swam Back 5 Hours After Being Released

Bukangi, the Busan North Port shark, left the waterway on October 21 after a third guidance operation, 34 days after first being seen, then slipped back through a gap in the barrier net five hours later. Here is how it was sent out again on the 22nd and what authorities plan next.

On the evening of October 21, news broke that Bukangi, the shark that had stayed in the waterway of Busan North Port Waterfront Park for over a month, had finally made it out to sea. The relief didn't last long: the next morning, headlines said "Bukangi is back." I covered what kind of shark Bukangi is and how things developed in Bukangi, the Busan North Port Shark: What It Is and Where Things Stand. This post summarizes, based on news reports, what happened over October 21 and 22.

Bukangi left for the sea after 34 days, then came back 5 hours later

October 21: a third guidance operation that took over 10 hours

Bukangi was first seen on September 18 and stayed in the waterway after that. After two failed guidance attempts, authorities had switched to waiting for it to leave on its own. But as the water got colder and the risk of death grew, they tried again¹.

The third operation on October 21 used pontoons (floating work platforms), barrier nets, and professional divers. After more than 10 hours, they managed to push Bukangi out of the waterway at around 6 p.m.²³, 34 days after it was first seen.

To keep it from coming back, two layers of nets went up near the waterway entrance: a first barrier net under a pontoon about 60 m from the waterway exit, and a second net 30 to 40 m farther inside³⁴.

11 p.m. the same day: back in through a gap in the barrier net

Bukangi circled near the entrance, then got past the first barrier net and back into the waterway at around 11 p.m. Authorities believe it squeezed through a gap between the net and the bottom, under the pontoon²³. It had been out at sea for only about five hours.

Thanks to the second net, though, it couldn't go deep into the waterway as before. On the morning of the 22nd, Bukangi was swimming in a narrow space of only about 30 m between the first and second nets, much smaller than where it had lived before the third operation¹⁴.

October 22: sent out again, and "no more herding"

An emergency operation pushes it out again

Because being trapped in such a small space could stress the shark, a joint emergency operation began at 9 a.m. on the 22nd. Around noon, officials repositioned the pontoon and pushed Bukangi out of the waterway again. It dove and disappeared from view, then briefly surfaced near Pier 1 of Busan Port around 2 p.m. before going under again³.

The operation involved the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan City, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan Facilities Corporation, Busan Port Authority, and the police³.

A double barrier inside, and a wide-open path to the sea

At around 3:36 p.m., authorities reinforced the second barrier with extra pontoons and nets, making it a double barrier. Meanwhile, they removed the first barrier, the one Bukangi had slipped through, to leave a wide path out to sea³⁵. Divers checked the underwater nets and the waterway walls and floor for gaps⁵.

Now, even if Bukangi comes back in, it can't get past the reinforced second barrier into the inner waterway³.

No more forced guidance; watching instead

The biggest change is the approach. Authorities stopped herding the shark with nets and decided to watch and let it leave on its own²⁵.

Kim Hyun-sung, director of the Ecological Resources Division (생태자원과) at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said Bukangi was staying underwater longer and diving deeper, and that further guidance could add stress and make adjusting harder². Bukangi is mostly seen around the waterway entrance and has expanded its range to the sea near Pier 1 outside²⁵.

A Busan City official said its last confirmed location was in the sea outside the waterway and that they would keep monitoring whether it stays offshore and where it goes. If it stays at sea, no further work to block the waterway should be needed, the official added³.

Why did Bukangi come back?

Experts have a few guesses:

• Ship noise and lights: Bukangi was pushed out into Busan Port, where ships come and go. Kim Hyun-woo, a researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries Science, suggested that underwater noise from passing ships and strong lights may have disrupted its senses². Choi Yoon, professor emeritus at Kunsan National University, also mentioned it may have come back to avoid ship engine noise⁵.
• A waterway it got used to: Professor Choi explained that after more than a month in the waterway, Bukangi may have grown used to it, so the open sea outside may feel like a new environment⁵.

What's still worrying: water temperature and wounds

Waiting doesn't mean there's unlimited time. Professor Choi said that with the water getting colder, little feeding, and wounds being found again and again, Bukangi can't stay like this. The wounds may come from repeatedly digging at the bottom while looking for food².

Dusky sharks mostly live in water between 18 and 26°C, and experts had already warned that North Port waters can drop below 18°C by mid-November (see my earlier post for details).

If Bukangi can't feed and its stamina or immunity drops sharply, forced relocation may be considered. As last resorts, Professor Choi named surrounding it with a net between two boats and moving it slowly, or carrying it to sea in a large tank⁵.

Summary

When	What happened
Oct 21, around 6 p.m.	Leaves the waterway after a 10+ hour third operation (34 days after first sighting)
Oct 21, around 11 p.m.	Slips back in under the first barrier net; stays between the first and second nets (about 30 m)
Oct 22, 9 a.m.	Joint emergency guidance operation begins
Oct 22, around noon	Pushed out of the waterway again after the pontoon is repositioned
Oct 22, around 2 p.m.	Briefly spotted near Pier 1
Oct 22, around 3:36 p.m.	Second barrier doubled; first barrier removed to open the path to sea

Bukangi has been loved by so many people for more than a month. I hope this time it really heads back to the open sea. I'll update this post when there's more news.

References

Footnotes

1. https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=391327 ↩ ↩²

2. https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1008810893 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. https://m.sedaily.com/article/20105009 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

4. https://www.fnnews.com/news/202610220911084911 ↩ ↩²

5. https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026102217060003890 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷