Shark lingers at Busan waterfront park, drawing large crowds

A large shark has lingered in a narrow waterway at Busan's North Port Waterfront Park for four consecutive days, drawing thousands of spectators and prompting safety restrictions from city authorities. The animal was first spotted at 8:57 a.m. on Friday, September 18, near the artificial channel that opens onto the harbor, and it was still in the waterway as of Monday, September 21. The Korea Coast Guard initially deployed a special sea rescue team, coastal boats and a patrol craft, spending roughly six hours on Friday trying to guide the shark toward open waters. The operation was called off at 3:15 p.m. after the National Institute of Fisheries Science advised that forcing the animal through the shallow, narrow channel could provoke aggressive behavior or cause injury. Authorities have since been monitoring the shark and urging the public to keep their distance. The National Institute of Fisheries Science has provisionally identified the animal as a dusky or copper shark, also known as a bronze whaler, but its exact species has not been formally confirmed. Estimates of its length have varied, with later checks putting it at roughly 3.5 meters, or about 11 feet 6 inches.