‘Wolfshank Redemption’: Escaped Wolf Spurs Online Fandom, Meme Coin

Online fandom forms

‘Neukgu’ coin trades

Search enters third day

No major breakthrough

Neukgu, a 2-year-old male wolf that escaped from the safari at Daejeon O-World on June 8, has become a talking point at home and abroad. Online communities overseas have even spawned a meme coin bearing the wolf’s name.

As of June 10, cryptocurrency data site CoinGecko showed that a coin called Neukgu was trading on some overseas decentralized exchanges, or DEXs. The token was created on June 8 as a typical meme coin, with a total supply of 160 million and about $20,000 in liquidity. Meme coins are crypto assets based on memes that gain traction in online communities and on social media.

An English-language X account called Neukgu has also been set up to share updates on the search and related developments. The account describes Neukgu as “a lonely wolf escaped from Daejeon O-World” and has posted search-related articles, wolf photos and reactions from internet users. Hundreds of users have joined so far, posting messages such as “Neukgu is lonely but independent” and “Catch me if you can” in support of the animal.

Authorities deployed drones equipped with high-resolution thermal cameras on June 10 to search the area, but have yet to make a clear breakthrough. Fire authorities, police, the military and specialists are searching across Mount Bomun by sector. Officials have also installed five baited traps near O-World, citing the wolf’s instinct to return home.

A search official said Neukgu, which was born and raised at O-World, is believed to lack hunting skills. If it cannot find food, it could die.

Neukgu is believed to have escaped O-World at about 9:30 a.m. on June 8 after digging under a wire fence. President Lee Jae-myung shared a related article on X on June 9, saying he hoped there would be no injuries and that Neukgu would also return safely.

Choi Young-chong, Hankyung.com reporter youngchoi@hankyung.com