How Could One Shark Be This Powerful? From Coffee and Soju to Convenience Stores, the “Bukang Boom”

[Financial News]  A shark that appeared at Busan North Port is driving the retail and marketing industries. Companies ranging from coffee and soju producers to ice cream brands and aquariums have rushed to join the “shark marketing” trend, while local governments have begun developing related characters. The shark, nicknamed “Bukang,” is transforming from a simple attraction into an unexpectedly successful intellectual property.
According to the retail industry and other sources on the 25th, EDIYA COFFEE joined the Bukang craze by posting content on its official social media account that read, “Have a cup of coffee and keep a safe distance—Jawsome.” Its Bukhang Waterfront Park location has also attracted attention as visitors flocked there after the shark appeared.
Blue Shark Coffee, a coffee brand that grew in Busan, launched an event titled “Looking for Blue Shark Coffee’s friend who appeared in Busan.” Customers who take a photo of the North Port shark with a drink and tag the account will be entered into a drawing, with gift vouchers awarded to 500 winners. Daesun Soju produced an AI-generated video showing the shark swimming through North Port while holding a bottle of soju. SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium also posted content saying, “Our shark is pretty too,” receiving more than 20,000 likes.
The companies’ swift moves have also translated into actual consumer spending.
According to CU Convenience Store (CU), sales of Jaws Bar rose 12.5% at stores nationwide after the shark appeared, while Goraebap sales increased 10.5% and sales of Baby Shark-related products climbed 13.9%. In Dong-gu, Busan, sales of Jaws Bar jumped 28.4%, while Baby Shark products rose 33.3%. Even products with no direct connection to sharks have been linked to the animal through their names and images, fueling meme-driven consumption.
The ripple effect briefly reached the stock market as well. Shares of The Pinkfong Company, which owns the Baby Shark intellectual property, rose 7.11% in a single day on the 21st before falling 5.17% the following day. It was an unusual case in which a real-life shark affected the share price of a character IP company.
Bukang’s influence began by drawing crowds. On the 24th, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, about 102,000 people visited Bukhang Waterfront Park—roughly 50 times the usual holiday figure of about 2,000.
The possibility that the shark could leave at any time added to the excitement. Busan Metropolitan City Government and relevant agencies will monitor during the holiday to see whether the shark leaves the channel on its own. If it remains, they will consider a rescue plan. The limited opportunity to see the shark has effectively become a naturally created limited-time event.
The situation has also shown signs of overheating. A restaurant in Busan posted an unverified claim that someone had thrown a raw chicken to the shark, packaging it as a news report on social media. It was criticized for “fake-news marketing.” The business later said the content had been staged.
Local authorities have also begun working to preserve Bukang as a regional asset. Dong-gu, Busan, plans to solicit ideas for the shark’s name, appearance and story before using it as an official mascot.
What began as an accidental encounter with a single shark has drawn visitors, spread through consumer spending and social media marketing, and expanded into a character business.
A retail industry official said, "Even if a company spends a great deal of money planning a campaign, it is difficult to generate this kind of impact without consumers spreading it voluntarily," and added, "Companies are also quickly jumping on board because this shows how an unexpected local issue moved through an SNS meme into actual consumption and brand marketing."
[email protected] Kim Kyung-a Reporter