A shark was first spotted on September 18 in a canal of a seaside park in Busan, a coastal city in the south of the Korean Peninsula. Since then, the shark—now affectionately called “Bukangi” by locals—has become a major attraction, drawing huge crowds. On Wednesday, September 23, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, more than 100,000 people gathered along the canal to try and catch a glimpse of the creature. As the number of visitors grew, authorities issued warnings and urged people to stay safe. A bridge over the canal was closed after it became too crowded with onlookers. Rather than trying to catch the shark or move it to the sea, experts have chosen to let it return to open waters on its own, as reported by the Chosun newspaper. In a video using music from the movie Jaws and the popular children's song Baby Shark, Korea Now, a television channel affiliated with the Yonhap news agency, highlighted how rare it is to see a wild shark in nature. They described the event as “a natural aquarium.” Sung Ji-yeon, one of the visitors interviewed, said, “Usually, I only see them in aquariums. It's fantastic.” The shark, which is about 3.5 meters long, is believed to be a copper shark. Copper sharks are typically found in subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, and possibly along the Korean coast. Experts suggest that the shark’s presence in Busan may be linked to rising sea temperatures. Climate change is affecting the movement of marine species, with many that prefer warmer waters moving closer to Korean shores. Professor Choi Yoon, a marine biology expert at the National University of Kunsan and a shark specialist, explained that this shift in habitat is due to increasing water temperatures. He added that such occurrences are likely to become more frequent in the future, leading to more sightings of large sharks in the region.