Authorities began an operation Tuesday to guide a 3.5-meter shark back to the open sea after it spent 12 days in an artificial waterway at the North Port in Busan.

The Busan Coast Guard and the National Institute of Fisheries Science, along with other agencies, launched the operation Tuesday morning, first locating the shark, affectionately nicknamed “Bukangi,” before attempting to steer it out of the waterway.

Coast guard vessels used water jets to push the shark toward the sea, but Bukangi repeatedly evaded the boats.

As of 1 p.m., the shark had not left the canal, authorities said.

If Bukangi does not leave the waterway, authorities plan to try again on Oct. 2, using nets to guide it out to the outer sea.

Coast Guard vessels spray water from water cannons in a bid to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday at a waterfront park near North Port in Busan. (Yonhap)
Coast Guard vessels spray water from water cannons in a bid to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday at a waterfront park near North Port in Busan. (Yonhap)
Onlookers watch a shark swimming in an artificial waterway at a waterfront park in Busan as authorities conduct an operation to guide it toward the open sea on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Onlookers watch a shark swimming in an artificial waterway at a waterfront park in Busan as authorities conduct an operation to guide it toward the open sea on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Coast Guard vessels spray water from water cannons in a bid to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday as people watch at a waterfront park in Busan. (Yonhap)
Coast Guard vessels spray water from water cannons in a bid to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday as people watch at a waterfront park in Busan. (Yonhap)
A Coast Guard vessel sprays water from a water cannon to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday as people watch at a waterfront park in Busan.
A Coast Guard vessel sprays water from a water cannon to steer a shark toward the open sea on Tuesday as people watch at a waterfront park in Busan.

milaya@heraldcorp.com