‘Lucky charm’ Bukangi is watched over by 105 people every day... Jeon Jae-soo: “Ready to respond within 3 minutes in an emergency”

[Financial News] 105 personnel from relevant agencies are being deployed every day to monitor the health of Bukangi, a shark that has been staying in a waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park for nearly a month. Every effort is being made to keep Bukangi safe, including ensuring that action can be taken within 3 minutes in an emergency.
On the 13th, Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo appeared on SBS radio’s “Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show” and said, “Bukangi is a lucky charm for our Busan. What good fortune brought Bukangi to Busan, where it has given us so much publicity—publicity that would be hard to generate even with hundreds of billions of won in spending. That’s why Busan residents call Bukangi a lucky charm.”
Bukangi was first spotted on the 18th of last month in an artificial waterway at Busan North Port. An examination by the National Institute of Fisheries Science identified it as a female heuksangeo shark measuring about 3.5 meters in length.
Mayor Jeon said, “From September 18 through yesterday, 1.4 million people visited in less than a month,” adding, “Restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses around Busan Station have recently been enjoying an unexpected boom.”
He continued, “This year marks 150 years since the Port of Busan opened. We invested at least 90 billion won to build a waterfront park, and we are also holding cultural performances and events. The Busan Opera House will open soon. This is a symbolic space being created as the heart of Busan, the maritime capital. Bukangi has boosted its profile nationwide and around the world, and we feel gratitude beyond words.”
Mayor Jeon said, “For about 15 days, people were really excited, but once that period passed, I started to get a little worried. Bukangi is a heuksangeo, an internationally threatened species. It’s a wild animal, after all.”
He added, “The sea temperature is falling, and according to what we’ve confirmed, there have been no signs of feeding activity since September 18. If it had been using the entire waterway as its range, lately we’ve begun to see it repeatedly swimming back and forth in just one particular section.” He voiced concern.
Mayor Jeon explained that 105 personnel from relevant agencies—including the facilities management corporation, Dong-gu Office, police, Coast Guard, fire services, the National Institute of Fisheries Science and the Busan Port Authority—are going to the site every day, with Busan City at the center, to check on Bukangi’s safety and other matters.
Mayor Jeon said, “A few days ago, we held a meeting with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and related agencies to discuss measures. If even the slightest concerning sign appears in its health, shouldn’t we take extraordinary measures? So we’ve prepared all the emergency plans, including how to do that. We’ve made every preparation so that, if an emergency occurs, we can arrive and take action within 3 minutes.”
He added, “I’ve heard a heuksangeo can go for about a month without eating anything. We monitor it every day and gather experts’ opinions, and it is psychologically stable and physically healthy at present.”
He added, “The sea temperature is falling significantly, and from time to time Bukangi shows stereotypic behavior, repeatedly swimming back and forth in just one particular section. We’re preparing to respond within 3 minutes and take emergency measures if a situation arises. Bukangi needs to return to where it originally lived in good health, so we’re making those preparations.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter