This shortfin mako shark was caught July 17 off the coast of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. / Yonhap



By Kim Se-jeong

Vacationers heading to the country's east coast this summer had better watch out ― a dangerous species of shark has been discovered near Pohang over the past week.

According to the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, local authorities caught a live 1.05-meter shortfin mako shark July 17 off the coast of Pohang. Previously, on July 15, a 3.02-meter blue shark shocked authorities further south off the coast of Ulsan.

The shortfin mako is believed to be one of the fastest and most dangerous shark species. No human casualties from shark attacks have been reported in Korea, but there are cases overseas where shortfin mako sharks have attacked humans.

These are not the first sharks authorities have ever found near the peninsula.

In June 2012, the Coast Guard in Pohang discovered one dead 2.7-meter mako shark along the coast of Yeongdeok. Similar cases occurred in 2007 and 2011, all in the same region.

Sharks do appear along the western and southern coasts of Korea between May and October, but only recently have they appeared on the east coast.

The two sharks found last week usually live in tropical seas, where water temperatures approach 20 degrees Celsius or higher. The Korea Fisheries Resources Agency attributes the recent incidents to rising sea temperatures and changes in the region's marine ecology as a result of global warming.

The Coast Guard advises beachgoers to stay vigilant while swimming in the ocean and avoid swimming after sunset.