South Korea gets a new internet star as Busan shark sighting goes viral

A 3.5-metre-long shark that wandered into a Busan waterfront channel has become an unlikely internet celebrity in South Korea, drawing nearly 20,000 spectators over the weekend as authorities opted to leave the animal alone rather than risk provoking it.

The shark was first spotted on Friday in the waterway at North Port Waterfront Park, where it has remained for at least four consecutive days despite repeated efforts by the public to catch a glimpse of it.

South Korea’s National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) has provisionally identified the animal as a copper shark, also known as a bronze whaler, but experts caution that its exact species has not yet been confirmed.

The Korea Coast Guard initially spent about six hours on Friday trying to guide the shark towards the open sea, deploying specialist personnel and patrol vessels, but stopped the operation after fisheries officials warned that forcing the animal through the narrow channel could provoke aggressive behaviour or injure it.

Authorities have since been monitoring the shark and urging people to keep their distance.