Get off at Busan Station and see a shark first... 100,000 people flock daily to the 'Bukang-i' spectacle [Reportage]

[Financial News, Busan = Reporter Kim Kyung-min]On Chuseok, September 25, returning travelers and tourists who got off at Busan Station headed toward Busan North Port Waterfront Park. Families visiting their hometowns got off the train and headed to the North Port carrying their luggage, while others holding their children's hands and setting out to see the shark were also noticeable. The waterfront park parking lot, within walking distance of Busan Station, was also packed with vehicles. As cars continued to arrive in search of empty spaces, the Busan North Port area presented a holiday scene unlike its usual one.
As we approached the waterway, the crowd grew denser. People ranging from children to the elderly stood along the railing with their mobile phones in hand. When a black dorsal fin emerged from the calm water, dozens of mobile phones simultaneously pointed in one direction, accompanied by shouts of "It's out!" and "There it is!" When the shark disappeared back into the water, people replayed the videos they had taken while waiting for its next appearance.
'Bukang-i,' a shark approximately 3.5 meters long that has been staying here since the 18th, has changed the landscape of Busan North Port. More than 100,000 people visited on September 24 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. Although it is right in front of Busan Station, Busan North Port had been relatively unfamiliar to tourists; thanks to this unexpected shark, it is now attracting nationwide attention.

According to Busan Infrastructure Corporation, approximately 102,000 people visited Busan North Port Waterfront Park on the 24th. That is about 50 times the usual number of holiday visitors, approximately 2,000. On the 25th as well, families flocked to the area, and the waterway was crowded with people waiting for the shark.
Quite a few visitors who came to Busan for Chuseok visited the waterfront park after hearing about the shark. One visitor from Seoul said, "After getting off at Busan Station, my family and I were wondering where to go when we heard there was a shark, so we came right away. The children said we had to come because they heard they could see a real shark."
Even for Busan residents, Busan North Port was an unexpectedly unfamiliar place. One resident said, "Although I live in Busan, this is my first time at Busan North Port Waterfront Park," adding, "I came because of the shark, but the park is larger than I expected, and it is nice to walk while looking at the sea." Many visitors also walked across the pedestrian bridge while waiting for the shark or took photos with Busan Port Bridge and the sea in the background.
Large-scale redevelopment has been underway at Busan North Port since 2008, but it was not as familiar to visitors from outside the region as Haeundae or Gwangalli. Although it is easily accessible and within walking distance of Busan Station, there had been no clear reason to draw tourists to the waterfront park.
The atmosphere changed after Bukang-i appeared. Photos and videos taken by visitors spread through social media, attracting still more visitors. The North Port itself is also naturally gaining exposure nationwide.
As the sudden influx of people filled parking lots and surrounding roads with vehicles, the Busan Metropolitan City Government sent safety alert text messages asking people to use public transportation. To prevent accidents, access to the area around the waterway is also being restricted from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day.

As people flocked to the area, changes also emerged in the surrounding commercial district. According to BGF Retail Co., Ltd., which operates CU, sales at stores near the waterfront park on September 19 and 20, when the shark became a hot topic, increased 48.6% compared with the same days of the previous week.
In particular, portable power bank sales surged 815.5% as more visitors used their mobile phones for extended periods to photograph the shark. Sales of ready-to-eat foods also rose 166.2% as more people stayed at the site for long periods.
Unique shark-related consumption has also emerged. At CU stores in Busan's Dong-gu district, sales of Jaws Bars, Goraebap snacks, and Baby Shark-related products all increased. As local companies successively release social media content featuring Bukang-i, the shark is expanding into a local cultural attraction.
Busan's Dong-gu district also created a shark character wearing hanbok for a Chuseok event. It is also running a stamp tour that guides tourists visiting the North Port to nearby attractions such as Choryang Ibagu-gil, Busanpo Gaehanggado, and Busan Chinatown. The aim is to draw visitors concentrated at the waterfront park toward Busan Station and the old city center.

Bukang-i's appearance has brought renewed attention to Busan North Port's potential as a tourist destination. It is within walking distance of KTX-Sancheon Busan Station and adjacent to old-city attractions such as Choryang and Chinatown. In other words, it has the conditions needed to expand tourists' routes—currently concentrated in eastern Busan, including Haeundae and Gwangalli—to Busan Station and the North Port area.
The Busan Metropolitan City Government and Dong-gu are working to connect the recent increase in visitors with nearby tourist attractions. In particular, they are pursuing plans to expand the interest sparked by the shark into old-city tourism by linking tourism content that encourages visitors to travel from the North Port to Choryang Ibagu-gil and Chinatown.
Meanwhile, Bukang-i has remained in the North Port waterway for eight days as of the 25th, after first being discovered on the 18th. Authorities are monitoring whether the shark will leave the waterway on its own during the holiday. If it remains after the holiday, the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), and the Busan Port Authority (BPA) will assess its condition and review whether and how to rescue it.
Crowds coming to see the shark at the North Port are expected to continue through the end of the Chuseok holiday. The Busan Metropolitan City Government and related agencies plan to continue on-site safety management and traffic control in preparation for the increase in visitors.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter