BUSAN, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Bukang-i the shark, which was guided out of a canal in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan after more than a month there, has returned to the waterway.
The shark was seen swimming Thursday morning in a narrow space between a flat floating platform installed near the canal's exit to prevent it from coming back and a net set up as a second backstop, a day after it was successfully guided out of the canal.
Observers say the fish could have swum its way into the canal under the floating platform, known as a pontoon.
The shark -- named Bukang-i after Bukhang, Korean for North Port -- was first spotted in the canal Sept. 18. Since then, the canal park, located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has turned into a major attraction, drawing over 1.6 million visitors as of Sunday.
After two previous attempts to guide the fish to the open sea failed, officials had waited for it to exit the canal on its own. But after it didn't, the officials made a third attempt over concern it could die if water temperatures fell further.
On Wednesday, a joint team involving municipal and Coast Guard officials steered Bukang-i toward the canal's exit using a net secured to a pontoon. At around 6 p.m., the shark was spotted in waters near a pier outside the canal, although the waters there are not considered open sea.
However, some visitors had reported seeing the shark swimming back in the canal at around 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Authorities conduct a third rescue operation to guide a shark out of a canal in a waterfront park in the port city of Busan, located some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Oct. 21, 2026. (Yonhap)
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