# Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) > Stuck in a canal for a month. Became a city ambassador. Left. Came right back. Updated Oct 25, 2026 · first seen Sep 18, 2026 · on X, Instagram, YouTube. Where it is in its life: Everyone (peak). Peak: searches are near their high and most people get it. Also called: bukang-i, bukangi shark, busan shark, busan canal shark, korean canal shark, 부캉이. Page: https://viralmeme.ai/meme/bukangi-shark ## TL;DR Bukangi is a female dusky shark, about 3 meters long, that swam into a narrow canal at Busan's North Port in South Korea on September 18, 2026 and stayed for more than a month. People turned her into a meme, from AI images of her as a talk-show guest to jokes about the mayor making her an ambassador, which Busan then actually did. On October 21 a third rescue guided her out to sea, and hours later she swam back into the canal, sending Bukangi around the world again. ## What does Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) mean? Bukangi is a real shark that became a celebrity because she wouldn't leave. Her name joins Buk Hang, the Korean name for Busan's North Port, with the friendly suffix "-i," so it reads roughly like "little North Port." She circles a narrow waterway next to North Port Waterfront Park with her fin breaking the surface, and crowds come to watch. The Bukangi meme is people treating her like a public figure. Korean posters made AI images of her as a guest on the talk show You Quiz on the Block, joked that the mayor would appoint her a city ambassador, and pictured a shark-shaped baseball stadium whose mouth opens like a retractable roof. When she slipped back into the canal after being freed, the joke became that she simply likes Busan too much to go. Under the jokes there is real concern. Experts have said Bukangi hasn't been seen eating, and colder water could put her life at risk, so many posts mix fan affection with hope that she makes it back to sea. ## Why did Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) take off? Bukangi had everything a viral animal needs: a name, a place anyone could visit, and a story that kept changing. She arrived during the run-up to the Chuseok holiday, and about 480,000 people visited the waterfront park over the four-day break, against a usual weekend average of around 2,000 a day, Reuters reported. By October 18 more than 1.6 million had come, according to Yonhap. The jokes turned into real life, which kept the story going. A meme about the mayor naming her an ambassador came true on September 29, when Busan made Bukangi an honorary public relations ambassador after an Instagram poll got 91% approval from about 8,000 people. The Guardian profiled YouTubers keeping a night watch over her, and every rescue attempt became an event. The new wave came with the third rescue. On October 21 officials declared the operation a success around 6 p.m.; by about 11 p.m. visitors saw her swim back in. Reuters, AP, the BBC, CNN and the Guardian all covered the return, and in the US people now search for "bukangi shark," "bukangi meaning" and "bukangi busan." ## Where did Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) come from? The shark was first spotted around 9 a.m. on September 18, 2026 in a shallow channel linking North Port Waterfront Park to the sea, in Busan's Dong District, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Early reports called her a sandbar shark or a bronze whaler; the National Institute of Fisheries Science later identified her as a female dusky shark about 3 meters long, according to AP. Scientists suggested warmer water may have drawn her in while chasing prey. The memes started within days. On September 21, JoongAng Daily described a viral thread posting AI images of the shark being interviewed on You Quiz on the Block, a meme of the mayor naming her a city ambassador, and AI pictures of a shark-shaped stadium. Busan made the ambassador joke real on September 29, the same day a first rescue using boats with water jets failed. A second attempt with a net on October 2 also failed. On October 21, a third attempt used a net on a floating platform to steer Bukangi out, and officials declared it a success. Late that night she crossed a barrier and returned to the canal, and on the morning of October 22 she was seen between the barriers again. Officials said they were considering reinforcing the barriers or capturing her and moving her to open water, and on October 24 the BBC was still asking whether Bukangi would ever leave. - **Sep 18, 2026:** A shark is spotted in the canal at Busan's North Port Waterfront Park. - **Sep 21, 2026:** JoongAng Daily reports the memes: You Quiz AI images, an ambassador joke, a shark stadium. - **Sep 29, 2026:** Busan names Bukangi an honorary PR ambassador; the first rescue fails. - **Oct 2, 2026:** A second rescue with a net fails. - **Oct 21, 2026:** A third rescue guides her out; around 11 p.m. she swims back into the canal. - **Oct 22–24, 2026:** Reuters, AP, the BBC, CNN and the Guardian report her return as officials weigh new plans. ## Popular versions of Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) ### Talk-show guest AI images of Bukangi on You Quiz on the Block, the program that once hosted the vet who caught an escaped zoo wolf. ### Ambassador Bukangi Jokes about her official title, which started as a meme and became real on September 29. ### The shark stadium AI pictures of a baseball stadium shaped like a shark, its mouth opening like a retractable roof. ### She came back Posts about her return after the third rescue: she loves Busan, she missed the fans, she has a job here. ## How to post Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) on TikTok 1. Post Bukangi like a celebrity: her schedule, her fans, her official duties as ambassador. 2. Caption her return as a choice: she just likes it in Busan. 3. If you visit, watch from the park and follow the officials' instructions. 4. Keep it kind: she is a real animal whose health is a real worry. ## Make your own ViralMeme explains this meme: it's a clip, a sound or a phrase you post as it is, not a format you put your photo into. ## Questions about Bukangi (The Busan Canal Shark) ### What is Bukangi? Bukangi is a female dusky shark, about 3 meters long, that got stuck in a canal at Busan's North Port in South Korea in September 2026 and became a national celebrity and meme. ### What does the name Bukangi mean? It combines Buk Hang, the Korean name for Busan's North Port, with the Korean suffix "-i," which is often added to names to make them friendly, Reuters explains. ### Is Bukangi really Busan's ambassador? Yes. Busan named the shark an honorary public relations ambassador on September 29, 2026, after a poll on the city's Instagram got 91% approval from about 8,000 people. A meme had predicted it about a week earlier. ### Did Bukangi get back to the sea? A third rescue on October 21, 2026 guided her out, but she swam back into the canal around 11 p.m. that night. As of October 22 officials were considering stronger barriers or moving her by capture. ### Why are people worried about Bukangi? Experts say she hasn't been seen feeding, and falling water temperatures could threaten her health. Some reports also noted apparent injuries. ### How many people have visited Bukangi? More than 1.6 million people had visited the canal park by October 18, 2026, according to Yonhap, including about 480,000 over the Chuseok holiday. ## Sources - [Korea JoongAng Daily via Daum: From waterway to 'You Quiz', Busan shark becomes a meme (Sep 21, 2026)](https://v.daum.net/v/20260921165319892) - [Reuters via Cyprus Mail: stranded shark draws 600,000 visitors in South Korea (Sep 30, 2026)](https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/09/30/stranded-shark-draws-600000-visitors-in-south-korea) - [AP via CP24: South Korean officials free a shark trapped for a month in Busan canal (Oct 21, 2026)](https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/10/21/south-korean-officials-free-a-shark-trapped-for-a-month-in-busan-canal/) - [Yonhap via Korea JoongAng Daily: Bukangi the shark returns to Busan canal after brief exit (Oct 22, 2026)](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/busan-shark-slips-back-into-canal/12933312) - [TRT World: South Korea's stranded celebrity shark swims back into canal after rescue (Oct 22, 2026)](https://www.trtworld.com/article/aced753a85d9) ## What changed on this page - Oct 25, 2026: First published: the shark, her name, the memes, the ambassador title and her return after the third rescue. 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