THE
$BUKANGI ๋ถ์บ์ด THESIS ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ท
Korea has a new viral icon.
๋ถ์บ์ด (BUKANGI) the 3.5m-class shark that appeared in the North Port Waterfront Park waterway in Busan on September 18.
What started as a random shark sighting has turned into a nationwide phenomenon.
More than 100,000 people visited the park on September 24 alone, around 50ร the usual holiday traffic. By September 26, cumulative visits had reached roughly 320,000. (SBS ๋ด์ค)
The story has gone far beyond people simply watching a shark.
BUKANGI has become a meme.
A free web game featuring BUKANGI was created.
Social media has turned the shark into a recognizable Korean internet character. (SBS ๋ด์ค)
The shark is believed to be a 3.5m-long sandbar/bronze-whaler-type shark, although authorities are still working to establish the exact species. (SBS ๋ด์ค)
And now authorities are considering how to safely guide BUKANGI back toward the open sea if it remains in the waterway after the Chuseok holiday. (koreajoongangdaily)
This is no longer just a shark sighting.
๋ถ์บ์ด (BUKANGI) has become a real-time Korean internet phenomenon with millions of impressions, hundreds of thousands of visitors, memes, games and an entire story developing around one shark.
$BUKANGI ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ท
3iUTyNYW6xKv5kZUjtbrEDTsuJTrSVwvB3bQtxkLpump