Bukangi, the Busan North Port Shark: What It Is and Where Things Stand (October 2026)

A news-based summary of Bukangi, the shark that has stayed in the artificial waterway of Busan North Port Waterfront Park for almost a month. Covers what it is (a female dusky shark, an endangered species), where the name comes from, two failed attempts to guide it out to sea, its health and the water temperature problem.

These days, any conversation about Busan seems to include Bukangi. It is a shark that swam into the artificial waterway of Busan North Port Waterfront Park and has not left for almost a month. What started as a "shark sighted" emergency alert text has turned into a tourist event with more than a million cumulative visitors. Because the news is scattered across many reports, I gathered articles to summarize what kind of shark Bukangi is and where things stand as of October 15, 2026.

What kind of shark is Bukangi, the Busan North Port shark?

Identity: a female dusky shark, an endangered species

At first there was disagreement over whether it was a copper shark (bronze whaler) or a dusky shark, but on October 6 the National Institute of Fisheries Science concluded after close observation that it is a female dusky shark¹. The identification was made from close-up video, without capturing the shark.

• Basis for species identification: a ridge between the dorsal fins (copper sharks do not have one)
• Sex: identified as female from the shape of the reproductive organs on the underside
• Length: about 3 m
• An endangered species listed as "Endangered (EN)" on the IUCN Red List²

At one point there was a rumor that "it gave birth in the waterway and can't leave", but experts consider a birth unlikely³.

Where the name "Bukangi" comes from

The name has nothing to do with North Korea or owls (the Korean word for owl sounds similar). It is "Bukhang-i" (from "Bukhang", North Port, the name of the park) written the way it is pronounced⁴. When Busan City appointed Bukangi as an honorary ambassador of Busan on September 29, the name became effectively official. Before the appointment, more than 8,200 people took part in a poll on the city's official Instagram, and 91% were in favor⁴.

Timeline from Bukangi's first sighting to now

Date	Event
September 18	Around 8:57 a.m., a 3–4 m shark reported in the North Port Waterfront Park waterway; Busan City sends a safety alert text5
September 19–20	Repeatedly sighted in the same waterway; tens of thousands of onlookers gather as it spreads on social media6
September 24–27	483,000 visitors over the four-day Chuseok holiday7
September 29	First attempt to guide it to sea — water jets from a coast guard vessel's pump were used, but the shark avoided the boat and went back into the waterway7
September 29	Busan City announces its appointment as honorary ambassador4
October 2	Second attempt — a net 50 m long and 6.8 m high was used to herd it, but the net caught on the bottom and the effort stopped. It only got to about 150 m inside the exit8
October 6	National Institute of Fisheries Science confirms it is a female dusky shark1
October 11	Cumulative visitors to North Port Waterfront Park pass 1.29 million2
October 13	Reports that 105 staff from related agencies are deployed, with a standby team that can respond within 3 minutes in an emergency9

In the second attempt the net did herd it close to the exit, but Bukangi then went back into the waterway, the net was removed, and the authorities have suspended further attempts for now⁹.

Bukangi's current situation (as of October 15)

Still in the waterway, "waiting for it to leave on its own"

As of October 15, Bukangi has been in the waterway for 28 days since it was first sighted. 105 staff from Busan City, the Busan Facilities Corporation, the coast guard, the fire service and the National Institute of Fisheries Science check the site every day, and a standby team has been organized to respond within 3 minutes if any sign of illness appears. Instead of forcing it out, the policy is to wait for it to leave for the sea on its own and to take special measures if worrying changes in its health appear⁹.

The waterway where Bukangi lives is an artificial landscape channel, but it is connected to the sea, so the tide flows in and out. It is about 1.5 km long, 30–60 m wide and 2.5–4 m deep⁷.

Health: swimming normally, but injuries are increasing

Professor Kim Sang-hwa of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at Kangwon National University, who visited the site on October 13, explained the following in an MBC interview³.

• Swimming itself is normal, with no tilting to one side or sinking
• However, it has settled into a fixed behavior of swimming the same route over and over close to one wall of the waterway, and this keeps causing injuries to its body (the injury around its eye has worsened)
• The repetitive behavior is not normal and may be a stress response or an attempt to find a way out

It has never been seen feeding, but the National Institute of Fisheries Science said large sharks can go without food for a while without immediate problems, and that there is nothing wrong with its swimming or breathing⁷. Professor Kim also explained that dusky sharks do not need to eat often and feed only briefly, which makes feeding hard to observe³.

The biggest variable is water temperature

Dusky sharks mainly live in water between 18 and 26°C. According to Professor Kim, based on last year, the water temperature at North Port dropped to 18°C in mid-November and 16°C by the end of November, and a narrow waterway can cool faster than the open sea. So his view is that it needs to leave before mid-November, and if it does not leave on its own by then, people will have to rescue it and release it again³.

Social media and online reactions

Bukangi became famous through social media, so the online reactions have drawn attention too.

• Bukangi guardians: YouTubers and others patrolling every night and stopping visitors from shining strong lights at the shark became a topic of conversation².
• Absurd complaints: A post on Blind by someone claiming to be a Busan civil servant went viral; they said they received a complaint suggesting they "just flip the shark over to knock it out and move it" and asked, "Am I an orca?" Reactions ranged from telling the complainant to try it themselves to sympathizing with the civil servant².
• Trademark controversy: The issue of individuals filing trademark applications for the name "Bukangi" one after another was raised at the National Assembly audit on October 13².
• Boost for local businesses: With crowds flocking in, shops around the park are enjoying an unexpected boom¹⁰.

Things to keep in mind when visiting

Experts and the authorities have two requests in common³.

• Don't shine lanterns or flashlights: Strong light at night can disorient the shark and make it hit the walls.
• Don't throw food: Feeding wild animals actually harms them.

If you go to see Bukangi, watching quietly from a distance is probably the best way to help it make it back to the sea safely. I will update this post if the situation changes.

References

Footnotes

1. https://inews24.com/view/2012267 ↩ ↩²

2. https://www.huffingtonpost.kr/article/261236 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2026/nwtoday/article/6857792_37012.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. https://weekly.khan.co.kr/article/202610071520001 ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202609191528001 ↩

6. https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202609201710001/ ↩

7. https://edata.ekn.kr/article/view/ekn202610140006 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. https://v.daum.net/v/20261002201656261 ↩

9. https://www.wikitree.co.kr/articles/1165769 ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. https://v.daum.net/v/20260922193112953 ↩