Shark 'Bukkangi' Missing... Oil Spill off Busan North Port Raises Concerns

Bukkangi Has Not Been Seen Since 8:40 a.m.
Experts: "Adapting to the Sea... May Not Be Seen for Several Days"

An oil spill occurred in the sea near Busan North Port Waterfront Park, where the shark Bukkangi is believed to be staying.

On the morning of the 22nd, Bukangi, the shark that had left the artificial channel at Busan North Port Waterfront Park during a third guidance operation the previous day, re-entered the channel and is swimming inside the barriers. Yonhap News Agency

The Busan Coast Guard said it received a report of an oil spill around noon on October 23 in the sea near the Marina Bridge-side exit of the artificial waterway at the park, and dispatched officers to the scene. An oil slick measuring 10 meters by 30 meters had formed in the waters where the spill occurred, and the Coast Guard began cleanup operations using an oil spill response vessel and other equipment.

The site of the spill is in waters on the opposite side of the waterway, about 800 to 900 meters in a straight line from the exit where Bukkangi had been appearing until that morning. A Coast Guard official said, "We will first carry out cleanup operations, then investigate the type and amount of the pollutants and how the spill occurred."

Bukkangi, last spotted at around 8:40 a.m. that day just inside the waterway exit at the park, has not been seen since, according to reports. Some have speculated that Bukkangi, which has sensitive sensory organs, may be swimming deep underwater because of the oil spill and unable to surface.

"The oil slick is floating on the surface at the entrance opposite the place where Bukkangi was guided toward the open sea," a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official said, adding, "It is unlikely to have a significant effect on Bukkangi's health."

Bukkangi, which had stayed in the park's waterway for more than a month, was guided out of the waterway on October 21 in a third operation conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan City and other relevant agencies. Late that night, however, it squeezed through a gap in the barrier installed by the authorities and returned.

The following day, the authorities installed a double layer of netting on a second barrier to prevent Bukkangi from moving farther into the waterway, and removed the first barrier that it had breached. Bukkangi later left the waterway again and appeared to expand its range, swimming in the waters off North Port Pier 1, while also staying underwater for longer periods.

Experts believe Bukkangi is going through a natural process of adaptation, swimming underwater in the deeper areas outside the waterway and getting used to the open-sea environment. "The longer dives suggest it is adapting to deep water," a Busan City official said. "It may disappear for several days and then reappear."

The authorities believe Bukkangi is adapting to its new environment and have decided to wait until it heads out to the open sea on its own.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.