From sharks to otters: How Busan's Gen Z is turning urban wildlife into viral sensations

Bukangi drew crowds at North Port Waterfront Park in Busan after appearing in its artificial channel on Sept. 18. Officials allowed the dusky shark to leave or remain after rescue attempts failed. The shark and a wild Eurasian otter named Oncheoni became viral urban wildlife celebrities, with residents sharing sightings, memes and merchandise. Experts said naming and following the animals reflects fandom-like participation and a desire for play.

Busan Infrastructure Corporation recorded 59,000 visitors at North Port Waterfront Park on Saturday, after a peak of 74,000 on Friday.

Nearly 1.3 million people visited the park between Sept. 19 and Saturday, when official counting began.

The Eurasian otter seen at Oncheon Stream is classified as a Class I endangered species and Natural Monument No. 330.

The Lotte Giants offered a shark-themed mascot cloak, while local businesses released Bukangi-themed keyrings and a special-edition soju bottle.

Yoo Hyun-jae, a Sogang University professor of media and communication, said people humanized the animals through names, narratives and memes.

Published Oct 12, 2026 12:00 pm KST

Updated Oct 12, 2026 5:43 pm KST

A dusky shark, nicknamed "Bukhangi," swims in an artificial waterway at the North Port Waterfront Park in Dong District, Busan, Friday. First spotted in the park's artificial waterway on Sept. 18, the city has tried several times to relocate Bukangi back to open waters. Yonhap

BUSAN — A woman in her 20s sits quietly with her dog along the safety fences of North Port Waterfront Park in Busan, patiently scanning the artificial waterway for any sign of "Bukangi."

Kim Yeon-ji, a local middle school student who also visited the site the day before, chatted animatedly with a friend while waiting nearby.

"Sometimes you only have to wait 20 to 30 minutes, or at most an hour, before Bukangi appears," Kim said. "This isn't a shark trapped in an artificial facility like an aquarium. When else would we get the chance to see a wild shark up close like this? I come here with my friend almost every day after school just to see Bukangi."

When a distinct dorsal fin finally broke the surface, several onlookers gasped in excitement, shouting, "It's here!" Some began running along the perimeter of the channel, keeping pace with the shark's movements. The long queues of spectators waiting for a glimpse of the creature evoked the dedicated fans waiting outside a K-pop idol concert.

"I had no idea there would be this many people," said Choi Ho-yoon, an office worker visiting from Seoul. "I hope this kind of natural civic participation will continue to grow into a unique urban brand for Busan."

The phenomenon has drawn unprecedented crowds to the waterfront. According to the Busan Infrastructure Corporation, 59,000 people visited North Port Waterfront Park on Saturday one, following a peak of 74,000 visitors on Friday, the first day of the long Hangeul Day holiday weekend.

Visitors gather along an artificial waterway at the North Port Waterfront Park in Busan, Friday, to catch a glimpse of "Bukangi," a dusky shark that recently arrived in the area. Yonhap

The dusky shark was first spotted in the park's artificial channel on Sept. 18. After rescue authorities' failed attempts to guide the shark back to open waters, officials are now allowing the shark to leave or stay of its own accord. In the meantime, cumulative visitor numbers to the park reached nearly 1.3 million between Sept. 19, when official counting began, and Saturday.

The sudden appearance of wildlife in urban rivers and waterfront parks across Busan has captured the public imagination.

Just as Bukangi became an overnight celebrity, videos of a wild Eurasian otter — a Class I endangered species and Natural Monument No. 330 — swimming near pedestrians along the city’s Oncheon Stream swept across social media.

Witnesses recorded the otter casually approaching citizens, prompting social media users to launch a new naming contest: "Since North Port has Bukangi, Oncheon Stream gets 'Oncheoni.'"

Local residents, especially younger people, have embraced them through digital culture. By giving them affectionate nicknames and sharing viral memes, locals joke that "all of Busan is turning into an aquarium."

An otter is seen at Oncheon Stream in Busan, Tuesday. Captured from Instagram (@eeung_ddy)

This organic fandom quickly turned into a hands-on experience. Finding the animals in person, filming short video clips and posting real-time sightings on social media has become a popular local trend.

Local brands and teams were quick to join in. The Lotte Giants baseball team launched pre-orders for a shark-themed mascot cloak, while a local shop released limited edition keyrings featuring Busan’s mascot, the seagull Boogi, alongside Bukangi. Daesun Distilling, a popular local liquor brand, released a special "Bukangi Edition" soju bottle featuring a surfing shark character.

Cultural experts describe this as a new urban phenomenon that combines a desire for social media verification with a psychological urge to join a trending fandom, driving citizens to become active participants rather than passive observers.

Experts note that the phenomenon — stretching from the craze over giant panda Fu Bao to Bukangi and Oncheoni — closely mirrors the dynamics of K-pop idol fandom.

Citizens personalize wild animals by naming them and buying collaborative merchandise to prove their fandom affiliation.

Daesun Distilling, a popular local liquor brand, released a special "Bukangi Edition" soju bottle featuring a surfing shark character. Courtesy of Daesun Distilling

Yoo Hyun-jae, a professor of media and communication at Sogang University, paid particular attention to the process of naming the wild shark "Bukangi."

"At their core, people constantly seek out elements of play in their daily lives," Yoo said. "While Bukangi's arrival was a natural event, people projected their desire for entertainment and humanized elements onto it."

By giving the animals names and treating them like animated characters, people feel a sense of intimacy, building a new form of play around added narratives and memes.

Drawing a parallel to how the story created around Fu Bao sparked widespread public interest before its return to China, professor Yoo viewed discovering others' experiences on social media, visiting in person and sharing content online as a key driver. He interpreted the movement as the result of human play instinct combining with a collective cultural push to participate in what everyone else is engaging with.

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9月18日，一条名为“布坎吉”（Bukangi）的暗色鲨鱼出现在釜山北港滨水公园的人工水道中，吸引了众多游客驻足观看。救援尝试失败后，官方决定允许这条鲨鱼自行离开或留在原地。这条鲨鱼和一只名叫“昂奇奥尼”（Oncheoni）的野生欧亚水獭迅速成为网络红人，居民们纷纷分享目击信息、制作表情包和购买周边产品。专家表示，给动物命名和关注的行为反映了人们类似粉丝的参与热情和玩耍的欲望。

釜山基础设施公司记录显示，周六北港海滨公园的游客人数为 59,000 人次，而周五的游客人数峰值为 74,000 人次。

从9月19日至周六（官方开始统计）期间，近130万人次参观了该公园。

在温泉溪看到的欧亚水獭被列为一级濒危物种和第330号天然纪念物。

乐天巨人队推出了鲨鱼主题的吉祥物披风，而当地商家则推出了以武士为主题的钥匙扣和特别版烧酒瓶。

西江大学媒体与传播学教授柳贤宰表示，人们通过名字、故事和表情包将动物拟人化。

发布于2026年10月12日韩国时间下午12:00

更新于2026年10月12日下午5:43（韩国标准时间）

周五，一条被昵称为“北杭鲨”（Bukhangi）的暗色鲨在釜山东区北港滨水公园的人工水道中游弋。这条鲨鱼于9月18日首次在该公园的人工水道中被发现，釜山市政府曾多次尝试将其放归开阔水域。（韩联社）

釜山——一位二十多岁的女子带着她的狗静静地坐在釜山北港海滨公园的安全围栏旁，耐心地扫视着人工水道，寻找“Bukangi”的踪迹。

前一天也参观过该景点的当地中学生金妍智（音译）在附近等候时，正和朋友热烈地聊天。

“有时候你只需要等20到30分钟，最多一个小时，布坎吉就会出现，”金说。“这可不是被困在水族馆之类的人工设施里的鲨鱼。我们还有什么机会能像这样近距离地看到野生鲨鱼呢？我几乎每天放学后都和朋友一起来这里，就是为了看布坎吉。”

当清晰可见的背鳍终于露出水面时，几名围观者兴奋地倒吸一口凉气，高喊道：“它来了！”一些人开始沿着水道边缘奔跑，紧跟鲨鱼的步伐。长长的队伍等待一睹这头巨兽的真容，让人想起韩国流行偶像演唱会场外的狂热粉丝。

“我没想到会有这么多人，”来自首尔的上班族崔浩允（音译）说，“我希望这种自发的市民参与能够继续发展，成为釜山独具特色的城市品牌。”

这一现象吸引了空前的人潮涌向海滨。据釜山基础设施公社统计，继周五（韩文日长周末假期的第一天）游客人数达到7.4万人之后，周六（1号）北港海滨公园的游客人数为5.9万人。

周五，游客们聚集在釜山北港滨水公园的人工水道旁，一睹“布坎吉”（Bukangi）的风采。这条灰鲭鲨最近才出现在该地区。（韩联社）

9月18日，人们首次在公园的人工水道中发现了这条暗色鲨。救援人员多次尝试引导鲨鱼返回开阔水域均告失败后，目前公园方面决定允许鲨鱼自行离开或停留。与此同时，自9月19日（官方开始统计）至上周六，公园累计游客人数已接近130万人次。

釜山城市河流和滨水公园中野生动物的突然出现，引起了公众的广泛关注。

就在 Bukangi 一夜成名的同时，一段野生欧亚水獭（一级濒危物种，国家天然纪念物第 330 号）在首尔温泉溪附近行人游泳的视频在社交媒体上迅速传播开来。

目击者记录到这只水獭悠闲地接近市民，这促使社交媒体用户发起了一项新的命名比赛：“既然北港有 Bukangi，那么温泉溪就有了‘Oncheoni’。”

当地居民，尤其是年轻人，通过数字文化接纳了它们。他们给它们取亲切的昵称，分享热门表情包，当地人开玩笑说“整个釜山都快变成水族馆了”。

周二，有人在釜山温泉溪边发现了一只水獭。图片来自Instagram用户@eeung_ddy。

这种自发的粉丝热情很快演变成一种亲身实践的体验。亲自寻找动物，拍摄短视频，并在社交媒体上发布实时目击信息，已成为当地一种流行的趋势。

当地品牌和球队迅速跟进。乐天巨人棒球队推出了鲨鱼主题吉祥物披风的预售，一家当地商店则推出了限量版钥匙扣，上面印有釜山吉祥物海鸥布吉和布坎吉的图案。当地知名酒类品牌大顺酒厂也推出了一款特别的“布坎吉版”烧酒，酒瓶上印有冲浪鲨鱼的形象。

文化专家将此描述为一种新的城市现象，它将对社交媒体认证的渴望与加入热门粉丝群体的心理冲动结合起来，促使公民成为积极的参与者，而不是被动的观察者。

专家指出，这种现象——从对大熊猫福包的狂热到对武馆和温泉​​男孩的追捧——与 K-pop 偶像粉丝的动态非常相似。

市民们通过给野生动物命名、购买联名商品等方式来彰显自己对它们的喜爱，从而赋予它们个性化的意义。

韩国本土知名酒厂大顺酒造推出了一款特别版“Bukangi Edition”烧酒，酒瓶上印有冲浪鲨鱼的图案。图片由大顺酒造提供。

西江大学媒体与传播学教授柳贤宰特别关注了野生鲨鱼“布坎吉”的命名过程。

“人们本质上一直在日常生活中寻求玩乐的元素，”Yoo说道。“虽然Bukangi的出现是自然而然的，但人们将对娱乐和人性化元素的渴望投射到了​​它身上。”

通过给动物起名字，并像对待动画角色一样对待它们，人们会感到一种亲密感，围绕着添加的故事和梗构建一种新的游戏形式。

尤教授以扶宝的故事为例，指出在扶宝返回中国之前，围绕扶宝的故事引发了广泛的公众兴趣。他认为，在社交媒体上发现他人的经历、亲自前往扶宝地参观以及在网上分享内容是推动扶宝运动的关键因素。他将这一运动解读为人类玩乐本能与一种集体文化驱动力相结合的结果，这种驱动力促使人们参与到其他人正在参与的活动中。

釜山鲨成为旅游热点，但也引发了人们对海洋变暖的担忧

尽管救援人员多次尝试，釜山鲨鱼仍拒绝离开运河，已持续三周。