# Ko Wen-je

Ko Wen-je (Chinese: 柯文哲; born 6 August 1959), also known by his nickname, Ko P, is a Taiwanese politician and physician who served as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He founded the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) in 2019 and served as its first chairman until 2025.
Before becoming mayor, he was a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital. He was also a professor at National Taiwan University College of Medicine, and specialized in fields including trauma, intensive care, organ transplant, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and artificial organs. Ko was responsible for standardizing organ transplant procedures in Taiwan, and was the first physician to bring ECMO to Taiwan. Apart from his practice, Ko is known for his numerous media appearances and interviews as a social and political commentator.
In the 2014 Taipei Mayoral Election, Ko ran as an independent candidate. He beat Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Pasuya Yao in an unofficial primary, gaining support from the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union. Ko won the election with 853,983 votes, becoming the first physician mayor of the city since the introduction of direct election to the office.
Ko was the official presidential nominee of the TPP for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. He presented his campaign as a "third way" between the DPP and Kuomintang (KMT), the two parties that have traditionally dominated Taiwan's political landscape.

## Early life and education

Ko Wen-je was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 1960. He grew up in a modest household. His father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發; 1932–2025), had aspirations for Ko, as the eldest son, to become a medical doctor. His mother is Ho Jui-ying (何瑞英). Ko's grandfather, Ko Shih-yuan, was an elementary school teacher who died from injuries sustained from the February 28 incident. The family's ancestral home is Nan'an, Fujian.
Ko attended National Hsinchu Senior High School (1974–1977), where he was class valedictorian and won awards in multiple subjects, including mathematics, biology, chemistry, and English. He studied medicine for a year at National Yang-Ming University in Beitou District before entering National Taiwan University (NTU) in 1979 after resitting his entrance exams. He graduated from NTU with a Bachelor of Medicine (B.M.) in 1986 and studied at the University of Minnesota from 1993 to 1994 as a researcher in surgery. In September 1994, he returned to NTU and earned his Ph.D. in clinical medicine in 2002.
Between August 1986 and September 1988, Ko served in the 269th mechanized infantry division of the Republic of China Army to fulfill his military service obligation. He was a combat medic with the rank of second lieutenant.

## Medical career

After graduating from NTU in 1986, Ko placed first nationwide on the medical license exams and received his medical license. On the advice of his professor, Dr. Chu Shu-hsun, Ko decided to specialize in surgery and critical care within the department of Emergency Medicine, working on the front lines of the emergency room. While studying at the University of Minnesota in 1993, he completed a one-year clinical fellowship program on artificial liver research under Wei-Shou Hu.
After returning to Taiwan in 1994, Ko, with an invitation from Dr. Chu Shu-hsun, helped found NTU's first organ transplant team, with the goal of performing heart transplants. Hoping to increase the transplant success rate, Ko introduced ECMO treatment from the US, and improved the transplant success rate from 19% to 51%. On 30 January 2008, Ko set a world record of 117 consecutive days for keeping a patient alive using ECMO. Using US treatment standards as a guide, Ko established a set of standards for organ transplant procedures in Taiwan that was later promulgated throughout Taiwan by the Department of Health.
On 15 July 2006, Ko wrote an article for the Min Sheng Daily titled "Reflections, Errors, and Apologies: Chao Chien-ming" that received considerable media attention and led to a number of politics-related interviews. On 18 November, Ko used ECMO to save the life of Shirley Shaw, wife of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu, who had fallen into a coma after a car accident. This incident in particular and the media attention it drew caused Ko Wen-je to become a household name.
In 2010, Ko introduced the American concept of integrated care to Taiwan, and established the Integrated Care Unit at NTU Hospital with the aim of reducing treatment cost and improving quality of treatment and quality of life for the attendant doctors and nurses. Ko directed the emergency care team that treated Sean Lien (Lien Sheng-wun) for critical wounds after he was shot in the face at close range with a 9mm pistol on 26 November. Lien recovered quickly, which led the media to speculate about the veracity of his story, but Ko quickly came forward to verify his claims.
On 28 May, Ko's emergency trauma care student Dr. Tseng Yue-tsee was hit by a drunk driver and sustained major trauma. Ko went to the hospital as soon as he was notified and oversaw her treatment, but she died. As a result of this incident, Ko started a foundation for the prevention of drunk driving.

### Relationship with Chen Shui-bian

When Chen Shui-bian was elected as Taipei City Mayor in 1994, Ko provided support to him from the medical community. He also supported Chen in the 2000 presidential election, when he took two weeks off work to support Chen's fundraising efforts. Ko is also a long-time member of the "Friends of A-bian Club". In April 2012, Ko enrolled in a course at Ketagalan Institute [zh], a school originally founded by Chen in 2003. In response to the political nature of the course and its timing, Ko explained that he enrolled because he had been asked to, and that he would not sign a petition requesting that Chen be pardoned for corruption charges.
When Chen Shui-bian's health declined in prison, Ko organized a medical team for him. Around June 2012, Ko and other prominent members of the medical community started a petition asking that Chen be released for medical treatment. Ko made numerous statements expressing his view that Chen should be granted compassionate release.

## Mayoral elections
### 2014 election

On the evening of 6 January 2014, Ko announced his candidacy for Taipei City Mayor. On 16 January, he set up his campaign office and began bringing in campaign staff and volunteers. During a symposium in Kaohsiung, Ko revealed that the accusations of misconduct in the AIDS transplant incident were the main cause of his decision to run for Mayor. After announcing his candidacy, Ko was hesitant about whether or not he should join the DPP and run as the DPP candidate. He ultimately decided to run as an independent, but to retain coordination with the DPP.
During the DPP primaries, Ko refused to debate DPP candidates Annette Lu and Wellington Koo on numerous occasions. A number of "slips of the tongue" made it into the news, for example when Ko said that the "Lawyer Culture" of Taiwan should end, when he criticized Koo Lee-hsiung's Facebook posts grieving over the death of Chai Trong-rong as "too emotional", and when he possibly unintentionally revealed confidential patient information. After Pasuya Yao made it through the first round of DPP primaries, Ko agreed to a debate on 12 June, and subsequently won the DPP polls. On 16 June, the DPP agreed not to put forward a candidate for the election, and to support Ko as the representative of the Pan-Green Coalition, without forcing Ko to join any political party.
On 10 November, Ko announced his intention to reject further monetary donations to his campaign, as the amount received by 31 October exceeded the NT$87 million cap set for Taipei mayoral elections.
Ko's campaign was managed by Yao Li-ming (general manager), Lee Ying-yuan (political platform), Chi Cheng (civic organizations), and Chiou Yue-yee ("We Care" youth organization). Ko's advisers included political scientist and politician Julian Kuo, political activist and filmmaker Yang Huei-ju, and former DPP secretary Chang Yee-shan. DPP city councillor Chien Yue-yen, neurologist Pan Cheng-chih, and two recruits from youth outreach efforts were the acting spokespeople for the campaign.
Ko emerged the winner in the Taipei mayoral election on 29 November 2014. He appointed Teng Chia-chi, Charles Lin [zh], and Chou Li-fang deputy mayors. Chou resigned her post in January 2016 and was replaced by Chen Chin-jun.
2014 Taipei mayoral election result :
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
| 1 | Chen Ju-pin [zh] | Self Help Party | 1,624 | 0.11% |
| 2 | Chao Yen-ching [zh] | Independent | 15,898 | 1.06% |
| 3 | Lee Hung-hsin (李宏信) | Independent | 2,621 | 0.18% |
| 4 | Chen Yung-chang [zh] | Independent | 1,908 | 0.13% |
| 5 | Neil Peng | Independent | 8,080 | 0.54% |
| 6 | Sean Lien | Kuomintang | 609,932 | 40.82% |
| 7 | Ko Wen-je | Independent | 853,983 | 57.16% |

### 2018 election

Unlike in 2014, the DPP did not endorse Ko in 2018, instead fielding their own candidate. Nevertheless, Ko received significant support from the pan-Green voters, many of whom saw Ko as having a more realistic chance of defeating the Kuomintang candidate. Ko was narrowly reelected mayor of Taipei in 2018 Taiwanese local elections.
2018 Taipei mayoral election result :
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | |
| 1 | Wu Er-yang [zh] | Independent | 5,617 | 0.40% | |
| 2 | Ting Shou-chung [zh] | Kuomintang | 577,566 | 40.82% | |
| 3 | Pasuya Yao | Democratic Progressive Party | 244,641 | 17.29% | |
| 4 | Ko Wen-je | Independent | 580,820 | 41.05% | |
| 5 | Lee Si-kuen [zh] | Independent | 6,172 | 0.44% | |
| Total voters | Total voters | Total voters | 2,164,155 | 2,164,155 | 2,164,155 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,413,870 | 1,413,870 | 1,413,870 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 13,355 | 13,355 | 13,355 |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | 65.95% | 65.95% | 65.95% |
In March 2019, Ko named Tsai Ping-kun a deputy mayor of Taipei.

## Mayor of Taipei (2014–2022)
### Housing justice

During Ko’s eight years in office, his office started and completed 4,807 units of social housing. In addition, he completed another 1,297 units that were started but not completed by his predecessor, Hau Lung-pin. When Ko left office in December 2022, another 8,226 units of social housing that Ko had started were under construction. As of 31 December 2022, the total public housing stock in Taipei City, excluding incomplete units, numbered 11,383.

### Market reconstruction

Ko began the process of reconstructing various markets, including Dalong Market, Huannan Market, Chenggong Market, and Nanmen Market. The old markets and their outdated designs were no longer adequate to support modern hygiene practices and public safety. In addition, there were unacceptable levels of chloride ions in the reinforced concrete buildings of both Dalong Market and Nanmen Market. Colloquially known as Haisha buildings [zh], buildings constructed with such concrete corrode over time, leading to mechanical failure and collapse. Dalong Market’s reconstruction was completed and it reopened to the public in 2019; Huannan Market in 2020; and Nanmen Market in 2023.

### West Taipei Urban Renewal Plan

Ko embarked on an extensive urban renewal project in Taipei’s west end, directly translated as the Western Area Gateway Plan. Comprising many interconnected projects, the plan aimed to create a more livable and family-friendly neighborhood with new options for parks and recreation, while highlighting the area’s history. The plan’s goals also included improving traffic flows, increasing foot traffic, and beautifying the environment. The area acts as a gateway to Taipei because it is where Taipei Main Station is located, a major transit hub served by Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taiwan Railway, Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Airport MRT, and numerous bus lines.

### Water supply

The Ko government eliminated and replaced all remaining lead pipes in Taipei by September 2017, which affected 17,714 households. A previous administration had originally scheduled the lead pipes to be replaced by 2025, but Ko accelerated the timeline when Hong Kong's 2015 drinking water scandal raised similar concerns about health effects in Taiwan.

### Emergency preparedness

Ko built two detention basins in the Wenshan district to help prevent flash floods. Construction on both started in November 2015. By October 2017, both detention basins were operational with a combined volume of 45,000 cubic meters. According to Ko, with the new detention basins contributing to a comprehensive flood control strategy, the area could now withstand up to 78.8 millimeters per hour of rain without flooding, up from 59 mm per hour previously, bringing Wenshan district up to the same standards as the rest of Taipei.

### Debt repayment

During Ko’s tenure, Taipei City paid down NT$57.1 billion of debt. When Ko left office at the end of 2022, NT$89.8 billion of debt remained, down from NT$146.9 billion at the beginning of his first term. The debt repayment mostly occurred from 2015 to 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the debt stayed roughly constant at NT$89.8 billion between 2020 and 2022.

## Taiwan People's Party

In July 2019, Ko proposed the establishment of the Taiwan People's Party for the Ministry of the Interior's approval as one of Taiwan's legal political parties. The newly formed Taiwan People's Party conducted its founding assembly on 6 August 2019, which was Ko's 60th birthday and Chiang's 129th birthday, as a requirement of the Interior Ministry. At the assembly, Ko was elected as the party chairman. According to Ko, the Taiwan People's Party seeks to "become an alternative" to both the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as the Kuomintang (KMT).

## 2024 presidential campaign
### Announcement

On 8 May 2023, Ko registered as the only candidate for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) primary for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential elections. On 17 May, the TPP officially nominated Ko as its presidential candidate and he held a press conference on 20 May to formally announce his candidacy.

### Political positions

A third-party candidate, Ko represented a break from the traditional two-party system, and positioned his campaign as a force for real change. His platform focused on domestic bread-and-butter issues like the high cost of housing and low wages. On cross-strait relations, Ko espoused a pragmatic approach that can be described as in between that of the DPP and the KMT. He was open to improving ties with China through cultural exchanges and economic cooperation, while pledging to increase defense spending from 2.5% to 3% of gross domestic product.

### Talks with KMT

On 15 November 2023, TPP and KMT leadership announced a plan to field a single joint presidential ticket consisting of Ko and KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih, with the order to be determined by opinion polls and publicly announced on 18 November. However, Ko was unable to come to an agreement with the KMT leadership, and on 19 November he publicly affirmed that he still intended to run as the presidential candidate of the TPP. Speculation continued until the filing deadline on 24 November, when Ko registered his candidacy along with his running mate Cynthia Wu.

### Election results

On 13 January 2024, Ko received 26.46% of the popular vote. Ko conceded the presidential election to Lai Ching-te, stating that the TPP had shown that Taiwan was no longer dominated by the Pan-Blue or Pan-Green coalitions.

## Imprisonment
### Investigations and arrest

On 14 August 2024, Taipei prosecutors searched the office of a public relations firm which sells merchandise bearing Ko's "KP" logo, following allegations of false reporting of political expenses for the 2024 presidential election. Reportedly, Ko's campaign stated it paid NT$9.16 million (US$282,000) to two contractors, but the two companies stated they did not receive any payments. After conducting a preliminary internal audit, a TPP spokesperson said that the discrepancy was traced to the accountant incorrectly merging expense items among different vendors, without informing anyone at campaign headquarters. By merging expenses and reducing data entry, the accountant was able to meet the reporting deadline. The spokesperson further stated that the TPP had receipts to account for all previously unreported vendors, that each expense had been legitimately used on the campaign, and that no money had been personally pocketed. On 29 August, Ko announced that he would take a three-month leave of absence from Chair of the TPP.
On 30 August, Taipei prosecutors searched the Ko residence, TPP headquarters, and Ko's personal office. Ko was arrested and questioned as part of a corruption investigation into approvals for the Core Pacific City property development project when he was mayor of Taipei. He was initially released on 2 September after a court found insufficient evidence against him. However, prosecutors appealed the decision to release him, citing additional evidence. The Taiwan High Court concluded that Ko had been "actively involved" in the alleged corruption, ruling that the Taipei District Court should hold a second detention hearing for Ko on 5 September. Following the second hearing, the district court ordered that Ko be detained incommunicado in Taipei Detention Center.
Ko accused the government of attempting to "suppress" opponents and lambasted the legal system and press for doing the bidding of President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party. The arrest ignited claims of political persecution and triggered a protest in Taipei on 8 September.

### Indictment and pre-trial detention

Ko was indicted on charges of bribery and corruption on 26 December 2024. Ko denied the charges. Further, Ko criticised the indictment, stating that it only relied on circumstantial evidence. On 2 January 2025, the Taipei District Court ordered the incommunicado detention of Ko, after the Taiwan High Court rejected its two earlier decisions to grant Ko bail.
On 11 January 2025, tens of thousands of people attended a rally in Taipei to protest against a politicized judiciary and "political persecution" by the DPP.

## Political stances
### Cross-Strait relations

Initially, Ko espoused positions much closer to the pan-Green camp. He supported Tsai Ing-wen in the 2012 presidential election and helped fundraising efforts for her campaign. He is also a permanent member of the pro-Tsai "Friends of Ing Club". Nevertheless, he has criticized Tsai's proposal for a Taiwan consensus over lack of clarity. In 2014, Ko mentioned that his strategic goals are the same as those of the DPP. He has expressed his dislike for the KMT on numerous occasions. In September 2016, he reiterated that he would not join the DPP, and would remain independent until his mayoral term ended.
After the 2016 general election, Ko's stances started shifting towards the pan-Blue camp. He started espousing rhetoric warmer to the People's Republic of China, and his TPP drew support from pan-Blue politicians. He also established close relations with political figures, including Foxconn founder Terry Gou.
Ko is generally seen favoring the status-quo in regards to Taiwan's political status. Starting from his term as Taipei mayor, Ko has used the line "two sides of the Strait, one family" (Chinese: 兩岸一家親) to show his views about the relations with the mainland. When asked about the 1992 Consensus, Ko responded by saying: "When China asks if we accept the ‘92 consensus,’ the DPP government directly says ‘no.’ My answer would be: ‘There doesn’t seem to be a market for this in Taiwan. Should we change the name of the term?'"
Ko has voiced support for closer economic relations with mainland China. He has expressed support for restarting talks for the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with mainland China. He also proposed building a bridge between Kinmen and Xiamen, suggesting that majority of Kinmen's problems in regards to water, power supply, and waste disposal would be solved by the bridge.

## Allegations and legal issues
### Office purchase

On 26 August 2024, Taipei City councillor Lin Yen-feng [zh] held a news conference stating that she received a tip-off that Ko had purchased a NT$43 million (US$1.3 million) office unit in May, questioning the source of funds given Ko's financial disclosure filed as part of his presidential campaign. Ko confirmed that he legally used a portion of his presidential election subsidy, estimated to total NT$110 million, to purchase the office.

### Sexual harassment allegation

In November 2024, Mirror Media alleged that at a 2022 meeting, Ko suddenly reached out to touch the arm of media personality Chu Mei-feng and called her a "temptress" as she was leaving. A TPP spokesperson said the accuracy of the report could not be verified.

### Organ harvesting controversy

In October 2014, Taiwanese media reported allegations that Ko was "involved" in acquiring forcefully harvested organs from China. The allegations stemmed from a chapter in The Slaughter by Ethan Gutmann, for which Gutmann interviewed Ko. Ko denied the allegations. Through a lawyer, Ko requested corrections to the book. In response, Gutmann's lawyer Clive Ansley stated:
   ... No English-speaking reader to date has understood for one moment that Dr. Ko was acting as an "organ broker".
   No English-speaking reader to date believes that Dr. Ko was trying to purchase organs himself or was in any way involved in any sort of profit-making venture.
   ... We believe that language, translation, and the heated environment of the political campaign for the mayoral race in Taipei may be playing a role in misconstruing the author's intentions and clouding the issue.
   ... In conclusion, we reiterate that we think the Taiwan media has been unfair in its treatment of both Dr. Ko and Mr. Gutmann. Mr. Gutmann believes, and we think his book demonstrates, that Dr. Ko has acted honourably ... and that he has contributed significantly to the international effort to expose the medical crimes which continue to be perpetrated in China.

## Personal life

Ko's wife, Chen Pei-chi [zh], was born in Penghu, Taiwan. She graduated from Makung Senior High School and National Taiwan University's Department of Medicine. She is the director of Pediatrics for Taipei City Hospital, Heping Fuyou Women and Children's Health Branch. Ko and Chen have three children: one boy and two girls. Ko has claimed to have Asperger syndrome, but, as of 2014, had not been diagnosed. His son has the condition.