SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - A shark lingering in an artificial waterway at Busan's North Port drew 483,000 visitors over the four-day Chuseok holiday, the Busan Facilities Corp. said Monday.
The crowd accounted for about 85 percent of the 568,800 people counted at the waterfront park since official tracking began on Sept. 19.
Daily attendance reached 101,000 on Sept. 24, 136,000 the following day and peaked at 140,000 on Sept. 26 before easing to 106,000 on Sunday.
A typical holiday had drawn about 2,000 visitors before the shark appeared, putting the peak-day crowd at roughly 70 times the usual level.
The shark, nicknamed "Bukangi" after Busan's North Port, was first spotted in the waterway on Sept. 18. The National Institute of Fisheries Science believes it is a bull shark measuring about 3 to 4 meters long.
Busan authorities increased crowd controls around bridges and waterfront sections during the holiday as visitors gathered along the waterway to watch the animal.
The city, the Korea Coast Guard and fisheries officials were set to discuss Monday how to return Bukangi to open water after it remained in the channel through the holiday.
AJP Takeaways
- Bukangi drew 483,000 visitors over the four-day Chuseok holiday.
- Holiday visitors made up about 85 percent of the 568,800 counted since Sept. 19.
- Attendance peaked at 140,000 on Sept. 26, about 70 times a typical holiday crowd.
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