The night watch: the YouTubers who were guardians of a shark stuck in a South Korean canal

Wearing hi-vis and carrying selfie sticks, livestreamers watched over an animal that was trapped for a month and drew more than 1.6m visitors before being guided out

In South Korea, they call them jagyeongdan, a word whose meaning sits somewhere between vigilante group and neighbourhood watch. Each night they put on hi-vis vests, picked up their selfie sticks and gathered around the harbour in Busan to keep watch over an unlikely charge: a stranded shark affectionately known as Bukang-i.

On Wednesday, after more than a month in the canal and at the third attempt, the shark was successfully guided out, South Korea’s oceans ministry said. Officials expect her to move into open water in time.