Get Off at Busan Station and See a Shark First... 100,000 Flock in a Day for the 'Bukang-i Concert' [On-the-Scene Report]

【Financial News Busan—Reporter Kim Kyung-min】On Sept. 25, the Chuseok holiday, holidaymakers visiting their hometowns and tourists who got off at Busan Station headed to Busan Port North Port Waterfront Park. Families visiting their hometowns made their way to North Port with their luggage after getting off the train, while others stood out as they took their children shark-watching. The waterfront park's parking lot, which is within walking distance of Busan Station, was also packed with cars. Vehicles continued arriving in search of empty spaces, creating a holiday scene unlike the usual one in the North Port area.
The crowd grew denser as people approached the canal. From children to senior citizens, visitors holding mobile phones lined up along the railings. When a black dorsal fin emerged from the previously calm surface, dozens of phones turned toward it at once as people shouted, "There it is" and "It's over there." After the shark disappeared back into the water, people replayed the videos they had taken while waiting for its next appearance.
The roughly 3.5-meter-long shark 'Bukang-i,' which has been staying here since the 18th, has transformed the scenery at Busan's North Port. More than 100,000 people visited on the 24th alone, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. While waiting to see the shark, visitors walked through the waterfront park, looked out at the sea and took photos. North Port, despite being just steps from Busan Station, had been relatively unfamiliar to tourists. Thanks to one unexpected shark, however, it is now attracting nationwide attention.

According to Busan Facilities Corporation, about 102,000 people visited North Port Waterfront Park on the 24th. That was roughly 50 times the approximately 2,000 visitors who typically come on holidays. Family groups continued to flock there on the 25th, leaving the area around the canal crowded with people waiting for the shark.
Many visitors said they had come to Busan for Chuseok and then headed to the waterfront park after hearing about the shark. "After getting off at Busan Station, we were deciding where to go with our family when we heard there was a shark and came straight here. When the children heard they could see a real shark, they insisted that we come," said one visitor from Seoul.
North Port was surprisingly unfamiliar even to Busan residents. "Even though I live in Busan, this was my first time at North Port Waterfront Park," one resident said. "I came because of the shark, but the park is bigger than I expected, and it is a nice place to walk while looking at the sea." Many visitors walked across the pedestrian bridge while waiting for the shark or took photos with Busan Harbor Bridge and the sea in the background.
Large-scale redevelopment of Busan's North Port has been under way since 2008, but the area was not as familiar to out-of-town tourists as Haeundae or Gwangalli. Although it is accessible enough to reach on foot from Busan Station, there had been little to draw tourists to the waterfront park.
The atmosphere changed after Bukang-i appeared. Photos and videos taken by visitors spread through social media, drawing in even more people. North Port itself has also gained exposure across the country.
As the sudden influx filled parking lots and surrounding roads with cars, the Busan Metropolitan City Government sent safety text messages asking people to use public transportation. Access to the area around the canal has also been restricted from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day to prevent accidents.

The influx of people has also affected nearby businesses. According to BGF Retail, sales at CU stores near the waterfront park rose 48.6% on the 19th and 20th from the same weekdays the previous week, after the shark became a major talking point.
Sales of portable batteries surged 815.5%, as more visitors spent extended periods using their phones to film the shark. Sales of ready-to-eat food also increased 166.2% as more people stayed at the site for long periods.
The shark has also inspired unusual consumer trends. At CU stores in Busan Dong-gu, sales of Jaws Bars, Goraebab snacks and Baby Shark-related products all increased. Local companies have also rolled out a series of social media posts featuring Bukang-i, helping the shark develop into a piece of local content.
Busan Dong-gu also created a shark character wearing a hanbok for Chuseok events. It is running a stamp tour that directs tourists visiting North Port to nearby attractions such as Choryang Ibagu-gil, Busanpo Gaehang-gado and Busan Chinatown. The aim is to draw visitors concentrated at the waterfront park toward Busan Station and the old downtown area.

Bukang-i's appearance has also renewed attention to North Port's potential as a tourist destination. The waterfront park is within walking distance of KTX Busan Station and is near old downtown attractions such as Choryang and Busan Chinatown. This gives the city an opportunity to expand tourist routes beyond eastern Busan, where visitors have largely concentrated around Haeundae and Gwangalli, toward Busan Station and North Port.
The Busan Metropolitan City Government and Busan Dong-gu are working to connect the increase in visitors with nearby tourist attractions. In particular, they are linking tourism content that encourages people to travel from North Port to Choryang Ibagu-gil and Busan Chinatown, seeking to turn the interest sparked by the shark into broader tourism in the old downtown area.
Meanwhile, Bukang-i was first spotted on the 18th and had remained in the North Port canal for eight days as of the 25th. Authorities are monitoring whether the shark will leave the canal on its own during the holiday. If it remains there after the holiday, the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) and the Busan Port Authority (BPA) will check its condition and then consider whether a rescue is necessary and how it should be carried out.
The crowds coming to North Port to see the shark are expected to continue through the end of the Chuseok holiday. The Busan Metropolitan City Government and related agencies plan to maintain on-site safety measures and traffic controls in response to the increase in visitors.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter