Ko Wen-je
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Ko Wen-je (; born 6 August 1959), also known by his nickname, Ko P (), is a Taiwanese politician and physician. Ko was
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
from 2014 to 2022, and
Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the
Taiwan People's Party The Taiwan People's Party is a political party in Taiwan, formally established on 6 August 2019 by Ko Wen-je, who serves as its first and current chairman. Application process The party was proposed in August 2019 by Mayor of Taipei Ko Wen-je ...
since 2019. Before becoming mayor, he was a doctor at
National Taiwan University Hospital The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; ) is a medical facility located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It started operations under Japanese rule in Daitōtei (today's Dadaocheng) on 18 June 1895, and moved to its present ...
. He was also a professor at National Taiwan University College of Medicine, and specialized in fields including trauma,
intensive care Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes pro ...
,
organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpo ...
,
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is an extracorporeal technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequat ...
(ECMO), and
artificial organ An artificial organ is a human made organ device or tissue that is implanted or integrated into a human — interfacing with living tissue — to replace a natural organ, to duplicate or augment a specific function or functions so the patient m ...
s. Due to his profession, he has been nicknamed Ko P or KP (which stands for Professor Ko, and is how he is customarily referred to within
National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...
). Ko was responsible for standardising 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 The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
(DPP) candidate
Pasuya Yao Yao Wen-chih (; born 4 December 1965) is a Taiwanese politician also known by the appropriated Tsou name Pasuya Yao. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party, he served in the Legislative Yuan from 2012 to 2018. Political career Yao, a fo ...
in the unofficial primary, gaining support from the DPP and
Taiwan Solidarity Union The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) is a political party in Taiwan which advocates Taiwan independence, and is affiliated with the Taiwanese localization movement. It was officially founded on 12 August 2001 and is considered part of the Pan-Gr ...
(TSU). 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.


Early life, education, and career

Ko Wen-je grew up in a modest household. His father, Ko Cheng-fa, had aspirations for Ko, as the eldest son, to become a medical doctor. His mother is Ho Jui-ying. After graduating from
National Hsinchu Senior High School National Hsinchu Senior High School () is a high school in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Student enrollment averages around 2200. Although traditionally an all-boy institution, National Hsinchu Senior High School started admitting femal ...
, Ko studied medicine for a year at National Yang-Ming University, before being accepted into the Medical School at NTU after resitting his university entrance exams. Between August 1986 and September 1988, Ko served in the 269th mechanized infantry division of the
Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army (ROCA), previously known as the Chinese Nationalist Army or Nationalist Revolutionary Army and unofficially as the Taiwanese Army, is the largest branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. An estimated 80% of the ...
to fulfill his military service obligation. He was a
combat medic A combat medic, or healthcare specialist, is responsible for providing emergency medical treatment at a point of wounding in a combat or training environment, as well as primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury ...
with the rank of
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. On graduation, 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. After working in emergency services for 11 years, Ko traveled to the United States in 1993 for a one-year clinical fellowship program on artificial liver research at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
under Wei-Shou Hu. After returning to Taiwan in 1994, Ko continued to work in the emergency room while at the same time beginning his Ph.D. studies at NTU. With an invitation from Dr. Chu Shu-hsun, Ko 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 Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is an extracorporeal technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequat ...
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 then
Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
. In 2002, Ko received his PhD degree in clinical medicine from NTU. Aside from his work improving medical technology in Taiwan, Ko has since the year 2000 participated in many foreign medical conferences in the
People's Republic of China (PRC) China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, where he was also responsible for introducing ECMO treatment to the nation. 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 Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...
, wife of Taichung Mayor
Jason Hu Jason Hu (; born 15 May 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the mayor of Taichung as provincial city in 2001-2010 and as special municipality in 2010–2014. He is a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and has been the Vice Chairman of the pa ...
, 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 Sean Lien or Lien Sheng-wen (; Taiwanese: Liân sìng-bûn; born February 4, 1970) is a member of the Central Standing Committee of the Kuomintang of the Republic of China (Taiwan). He is co-founder of Evenstar Capital and he previously ser ...
(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 24 August 2011, Ko was held responsible for an organ transplant error and subsequently reprimanded by
National Taiwan University Hospital The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; ) is a medical facility located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It started operations under Japanese rule in Daitōtei (today's Dadaocheng) on 18 June 1895, and moved to its present ...
and the Ministry of Health of Taiwan. He was the acting director for a standard organ transplant procedure in which 5 patients received transplants from a coma patient who was HIV-positive. In 2012, the
Control Yuan The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Prior to constitutional reforms in the 1990s, the Control Yuan, along with National Assembly (electoral college) and the Legislative ...
accused Ko of misconduct for violating organ transplant procedures. In May 2013, the Investigation Bureau of the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
suspected Ko of involvement in the misappropriation of
National Science Council The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC; ) is a statutory agency of Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the promotion and funding of academic research, development of science and technology and science parks. NSTC is ...
funds by creating fraudulent receipts, and asked Ko for an itemized list of payment details. Ko was thus drawn into the Accounting Act Amendment scandal, but the Control Yuan never brought charges. In June that year, Ko's emergency trauma care student Dr. Tseng Yue-tsee was hit by a drunk driver and sustained major trauma. She was brought to the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. 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. In August, Ko was invited by Control Yuan member
Huang Huang-hsiung Huang Huang-hsiung (; born 15 September 1944) is a Taiwanese politician. Early career Huang earned bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from National Taiwan University. He later worked as a lawyer. Political career Huang was fir ...
to attend a conference in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and to visit
Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
Province. Ko became more focused on politics and announced his candidacy for Taipei City
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
on 6 January 2014. Ko has claimed to have
Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...
.


Political stances

Ko provided support from the medical community when
Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...
was elected as Taipei City Mayor in 1994, as well as during his 2000 Presidential bid, when he ultimately 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”. As President, Chen opened the Ketagalan Institute in 2003, but the school was suspended for 3 years starting in 2008 after Chen stepped down and corruption charges were brought against the former president. In November 2012, the school resumed enrollment and Ko enrolled in a month-long course as a student under the guidance of Legislator Gao Jyh-peng, a long-time friend of Chen's. On 20 June 2012, Ko organised a small treatment team for Chen Shui-bian, whose condition had worsened since his imprisonment, and issued a public statement signed by many prominent individuals in the medical community to demand Chen be released for medical treatment. Ko has made numerous statements expressing his view that Chen should be released for treatment, and has also expressed his view that Chen's prosecution was purely political. Ko supported
Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...
in her Presidential bid in 2012 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. Ko has mentioned that his strategic goals are the same as those of the DPP. He has expressed his dislike for the KMT on numerous occasions. However, in September 2016, he reiterated that he would not join the DPP, and would remain independent until his mayoral term ended.


2014 Taipei mayoral 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 Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, 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 Annette Lu Hsiu-lien (; born 7 June 1944) is a Taiwanese politician. A feminist active in the tangwai movement, she joined the Democratic Progressive Party in 1990, and was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1992. Subsequently, she served as Ta ...
and
Wellington Koo Koo Vi Kyuin (; January 29, 1888 – November 14, 1985), better known as V. K. Wellington Koo, was a statesman of the Republic of China. He was one of Republic of China's representatives at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. 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 criticised Koo Lee-hsiung's Facebook posts grieving over the death of Trong Chai as "too emotional", and when he possibly unintentionally revealed confidential patient information. After
Pasuya Yao Yao Wen-chih (; born 4 December 1965) is a Taiwanese politician also known by the appropriated Tsou name Pasuya Yao. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party, he served in the Legislative Yuan from 2012 to 2018. Political career Yao, a fo ...
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 Lee Ying-yuan (; 16 March 1953 – 11 November 2021) was a Taiwanese politician. He was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995 and stepped down in 2000. In 2005, Lee was appointed the Minister of Council of Labor Affairs, which he led until 200 ...
(political platform), Chi Cheng (civic organisations), and Chiou Yue-yee ("We Care" youth organisation). Ko's advisers included political scientist and politician
Julian Kuo Julian Kuo (; born 24 June 1961) is a Taiwanese political scientist and politician who first served in the Legislative Yuan from 2002 to 2008 and was reappointed to the office in 2016. Academic career Upon graduation from National Taiwan Univer ...
, 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.


Organ harvesting controversy

In October 2014, reports surfaced that, according to
Ethan Gutmann Ethan Gutmann is an American writer, researcher, author, and a senior research fellow in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation whose work has investigated surveillance and organ harvesting in China. Education Gutmann earn ...
, an investigative writer who testified before the U.S. Congress on forced
organ harvesting Organ procurement (also called organ harvesting) is a surgical procedure that removes organs or tissues for reuse, typically for organ transplantation. Procedures If the organ donor is human, most countries require that the donor be legally de ...
, Ko reportedly visited China in 2004 and tried to negotiate good prices for organs illegally harvested from newly executed
Falun Gong Falun Gong (, ) or Falun Dafa (; literally, "Dharma Wheel Practice" or "Law Wheel Practice") is a new religious movement.Junker, Andrew. 2019. ''Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora'', pp. 23–24, 33, 119 ...
practitioners. Ko denied the accusation, and said he told Gutmann that there were some doctors in Taiwan who had been involved in buying or selling organs for transplant, but that he was not one of them. He added that he did not know whether the organs came from Falun Gong practitioners or not, and that he only stated in the interview with Gutmann that the majority of organ sources in mainland China were unclear. Ko's office stated that a recording of a conversation between Gutmann and Ko drastically contradicted details provided by Gutmann. Ko also engaged an attorney to request Gutmann to correct all false allegations in his book. Gutmann responded saying he had not said that Ko was involved in the organ trade, and that he might have been intentionally misinterpreted. On 27 November, Gutmann released a legal response with lawyer Clive Ansley, stating that "no English speaking reviewer of the book has understood page 255 in the way it has apparently been understood in Taiwan by readers whose first language is Chinese", meaning that he had never accused Ko of being an organ broker. Instead, readers have praised Ko for his significant contribution to "the international effort to expose the medical crimes which continue to be perpetrated in China." In addition, Gutmann and Ansley stated that "the book was peer-reviewed by three expert readers and subjected to a lengthy internal editing process by Prometheus. This review included not only the text itself, but also the author's notes, interview tapes, and electronic communications." In the endnotes of ''The Slaughter'', Gutmann says he gave Ko an advance draft of the section, and that Ko signed off on it, and only a few minor edits were made afterwards. A full explanation, including the actual email correspondence where Ko signed off on the story for publication, was provided by Gutmann in December.


Election result

After the Taipei mayoral election on 29 November 2014, Ko emerged the winner. He appointed Teng Chia-chi, , and
Chou Li-fang Chou may refer to: * CHOU (AM), a multicultural radio station (1450 AM) in Montreal, Quebec, in Canada, also known as Middle East Radio * Chou role, the clown role in Chinese opera * Chou, a fighter hero in '' Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' Chinese ...
deputy mayors. Chou resigned her post in January 2016 and was replaced by
Chen Chin-jun Chen Chin-jun (; born 15 June 1956) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan from 2007 to 2008. Executive Yuan secretary-general Thoughts on campaigning In September 2007, Chen said that appointed governm ...
.


2018 Taipei mayoral election

Ko Wen-je was narrowly reelected mayor of
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
in
2018 Taiwanese local elections Local elections were held on 24 November 2018 in Taiwan, to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties (cities). Elec ...
.


Election result

In March 2019, Ko named
Tsai Ping-kun Tsai Ping-kun (; born 1959) is a Taiwanese politician. Early life and education Tsai was born in Caotun, Nantou County, in 1959. He obtained his bachelor's degree from National Dong Hwa University, and master's and doctoral degree in education ...
a deputy mayor of Taipei.


Personal life

Ko's wife, Chen Pei-chi, was born in
Penghu The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘''  or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...
, Taiwan. She graduated from Makung Senior High School and
National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...
's Department of Medicine. She is the director of
Pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
for Taipei City Hospital, Heping Fuyou Women and Children's Health Branch. Ko and Chen had an arranged marriage, and have three children, one boy and two girls. It is known throughout Taiwan that as a mayor Ko earns less than his wife. He once joked that in order to pay off their home mortgage, his wife still could not retire early. Ko's son has
Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...
; Ko believes he has the condition himself, but, as of 2014, had not been diagnosed.


References


External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, Wen-je 1959 births Living people Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Hsinchu Taiwanese surgeons Taiwan People's Party politicians Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent University of Minnesota alumni Traumatologists National Taiwan University alumni National Taiwan University faculty Mayors of Taipei Taiwanese political party founders Leaders of political parties in Taiwan