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Busan Metropolitan City Moves to File Trademark Application for “Bukangi,” Developing It into a Public Brand Asset for All Citizens

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it plans to file a trademark application for “Bukangi” in October and actively respond to applications filed by an individual so that the shark at Busan North Port, whose name emerged through public interest and participation, can be widely used by anyone.

“Bukangi” is the nickname given to a shark currently staying at Busan North Port Waterfront Park. Its public recognition and symbolic value have grown through citizens’ voluntary interest and participation as well as promotional activities by public institutions.

Approximately 8,400 people took part in a public survey conducted through the City’s official Instagram account on appointing Bukangi as an honorary promotional ambassador, with 91 percent supporting the appointment. Related content also attracted strong public interest, recording more than 1.07 million views and over 10,000 likes.

Reflecting public opinion, Bukangi was subsequently appointed an honorary promotional ambassador for Busan Metropolitan City on September 29. It is now being used as a public promotional resource for communication with citizens and promotion of the city through the City’s official social media channels, YouTube and other platforms.

Amid growing public interest in Bukangi, the City recently confirmed that an individual had filed trademark applications for the name and is reviewing the potential impact on its future use by citizens and the local community.

According to the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS), a total of five trademark applications have been filed since September 21, using the Korean and English renderings of the name Bukangi as well as a combination of “Bukangi + BUKANGI + a shark design.”

The applications cover approximately 40 types of goods, including key rings, clothing and stuffed toys, and are currently undergoing the trademark registration process.

Trademark rights do not arise merely from filing an application. Whether a trademark is registered and the scope of the rights granted are determined through examination. However, the City believes that if the trademarks are registered, depending on the scope of the rights, they could affect the production of public content using Bukangi and its use for local products.

Accordingly, the City will take proactive measures to protect Bukangi as a public brand asset in order to prevent any specific party from securing exclusive rights and to establish a foundation for broad use by citizens and the local community.

First, the City plans to file its own trademark application for Bukangi in October to secure rights as promptly as possible. Through this measure, the City intends to establish a foundation for continued use by citizens and the local community and to actively respond to any future situation in which additional trademark applications by third parties could restrict such use.

The City will then use the Ministry of Intellectual Property’s information submission procedure to explain that the name Bukangi was naturally created and spread through the interest, interaction and communication of citizens and the local community rather than by any particular individual. The City will also seek to ensure that sufficient consideration is given to whether the name has distinctiveness as a trademark and whether it would be appropriate to grant exclusive rights to any specific party.

If the City secures trademark rights, it plans to establish a framework that will allow citizens, small business owners and local creators to make broad use of Bukangi in related content and other applications, provided that such use does not undermine its public value or image.

Through these efforts, the City plans to protect and develop Bukangi not as an asset exclusively belonging to Busan Metropolitan City, but as a city brand that citizens and the local community can use, nurture and develop together.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “Bukangi has grown into a new symbol of Busan through the interest and participation of our citizens. We will ensure that a name created together with citizens is not monopolized by any one individual and will establish a foundation that allows the local community to enjoy and develop it together.”