More people came than to the 70 billion-won Yeosu Island Expo... 136,000 visited to see 'Bukangi'

[Financial News] On Chuseok Day, 136,000 people visited Busan North Port Waterfront Park, while 67,000 visited the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo.
The crowd that gathered to see 'Bukangi,' the shark that appeared at Busan North Port Waterfront Park, outnumbered visitors to the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, which received a budget of 70 billion won. On Sept. 25, the park drew more than twice as many visitors as the Yeosu World Island Expo did that day.
According to the Busan Infrastructure Corporation on Sept. 27, the number of visitors to the park rose from 8,800 on Sept. 19 to 10,000 on Sept. 20, 13,000 on Sept. 21, 17,000 on Sept. 22 and 37,000 on Sept. 23. The figure climbed to 101,000 on Sept. 24 and reached 136,000 on Sept. 25. Even on Sept. 26, when it rained, 83,000 people had visited as of 6 p.m., bringing the cumulative number of visitors during the Chuseok holiday to more than 320,000.
The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo drew 67,000 visitors on Sept. 25, Chuseok Day, the highest daily attendance since it opened on Sept. 5. However, that was about half the 136,000 people who visited North Port Waterfront Park on the same day. Some have pointed out that a shark that suddenly appeared attracted more people than the expo, which cost hundreds of millions of won to stage.
Bukangi was first spotted at around 9 a.m. on Sept. 18 at North Port Waterfront Park. It remained in the waterway, eventually earning the nickname 'Bukangi,' meaning a shark found at North Port. The shark is reportedly about 3.5 meters long.
Visitor numbers rose rapidly after Bukangi became known. The park typically receives about 2,000 visitors on a holiday, but more than 100,000 people flocked there on Sept. 24, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. The influx of visitors from across the country also caused traffic congestion around North Port.
As crowds gathered, Busan Metropolitan City Government has restricted access around the waterway at the waterfront park every day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day to prevent safety accidents. During the Chuseok holiday, it also sent emergency text alerts urging visitors to use public transportation.
Some have suggested that Bukangi may have moved into the waterway while pursuing prey. Choi Yoon, an emeritus professor in the Department of Marine Life Science at Kunsan National University, explained that the shark may have entered the waterway while hunting for food.
However, visitors were advised to avoid throwing food such as raw chicken or provoking the shark at close range, as such actions could lead to an attack.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter