“Guarantee Bukangi’s right to self-determination”... Picket protest and government petition emerge

[Financial News] A debate has erupted over whether to return Bukangi, the shark that has become an attraction at Busan North Port, to the sea. Some citizens held placards calling for an end to “forced eviction,” and an online petition has also emerged.
Photos of placards taken at Busan North Port Waterfront Park have recently spread on social media (SNS) and online communities.
The placards bore phrases such as “Guarantee Bukangi’s right to self-determination” and “I finally got a home of my own after 20 years—what do you mean, forced eviction?” The phrases likened the authorities’ efforts to guide Bukangi back to the sea to “forced eviction.”
On the 21st, a petition was also posted on the government petition portal “Cheongwon 24,” calling for the effort to guide Bukangi back to the sea to be halted.
The petitioner said Bukangi had chosen the waterway and stayed there on its own, and called for protective measures that would allow it to remain safely in its current habitat rather than being driven out artificially.
Bukangi is a roughly 3-meter-long heuksangeo shark first spotted in an artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park on the 18th of last month.
During Bukangi’s stay of more than a month, it drew such great interest that the park’s cumulative visitor count exceeded 1.6 million.
However, wounds were found on its snout and fins, among other areas, because of the narrow waterway. Experts have stressed that it should be returned to the sea, warning that its health could deteriorate due to collisions with the waterway walls and other factors.
During their third attempt to guide Bukangi out of the waterway on the 21st, the authorities got it out, but it returned overnight.
It was later confirmed that Bukangi had left the waterway and expanded its range of movement.
The National Institute of Fisheries Science spotted Bukangi swimming near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal on the 24th.
The location was about 2 km from the last sighting. It was not in the open sea, but Bukangi was no longer in the original artificial waterway.
The institute determined that Bukangi was adapting to its new environment and had no significant health problems.

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