▲ This file photo, taken Sept. 27, 2026, shows visitors watching Bukang-i, a shark trapped in a narrow canal at a waterfront park in the southeastern city of Busan, swim. (Yonhap)
▲ Maritime authorities conduct a rescue operation on Sept. 29, 2026, to guide the shark Bukang-i out of a canal at a waterfront park to the open sea in the southeastern city of Busan. (Yonhap)
▲ Maritime authorities use a net in an attempt to guide the shark Bukang-i out of a canal in the southeastern city of Busan to the outer sea on Oct. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)

BUSAN, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Nearly three weeks have passed as of Tuesday since a shark, now the most famous of its kind in South Korea, got trapped in a canal at a waterfront park in the southeastern city of Busan, despite local authorities' rescue attempts.

The shark was first spotted Sept. 18 in the narrow canal at the city's North Port, located some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. For the next two days, nearly 20,000 visitors came to see the shark, a fivefold increase compared with the park's usual daily average of about 2,000 visitors during holidays.

Public interest spiked dramatically during the Chuseok holiday, which fell on Sept. 25, with a daily average of 120,750 visitors flocking to the waterfront park between Sept. 24 and Sept. 27.

The shark has been affectionately named "Bukang-i" after Bukhang, or North Port, as well as serving as an honorary ambassador of Busan.

As of Monday, 1.02 million people have visited the park to see Bukang-i, according to the Busan city government.

Initially, local maritime police and authorities tried to drive the shark away, but the animal refused to leave the channel, prompting officials to suspend their operations.

The city government soon decided to conduct a rescue operation with relevant authorities, as staying too long in the narrow channel could gradually weaken the shark's stamina.

On Sept. 29, the Busan Coast Guard and related agencies deployed five vessels to the artificial waterway and sprayed water streams to herd the shark toward the open sea.

The shark, however, kept dodging water streams, prompting authorities to call off the operation about five hours later.

On Friday, a joint rescue team involving city and Coast Guard officials made their second shot at rescuing the animal, this time using a 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net to drive the shark.

But the net got stuck on the bottom of the canal, and the shark showed no intention of leaving.

They eventually pulled the net away to let the shark leave on its own but to no avail.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science has been checking Bukang-i's health every day and has yet to identify any major problem, the institute said.

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