Ko Wen-je

Ko Wen-je
柯文哲
Ko in 2024
1st Chairman of the Taiwan People's Party
In office
6 August 2019 – 29 August 2024
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byTBD (acting)
13th Mayor of Taipei
In office
25 December 2014 – 25 December 2022
Deputy
Preceded byHau Lung-pin
Succeeded byChiang Wan-an
Personal details
Born (1960-08-06) 6 August 1960 (age 64)
Hsinchu City, Taiwan
Political partyTaiwan People's Party (2019–present)
SpousePeggy Chen
Children3
Parent(s)Ho Jui-ying
Ko Cheng-fa
RelativesKo Mei-lan
Education
Military service
Branch/serviceRepublic of China Army
Years of service1986–1988
RankSecond lieutenant
Chinese name
Chinese柯文哲
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinKē Wénzhé
Bopomofoㄎㄜ   ㄨㄣˊ   ㄓㄜˊ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhKe Wenjer
Wade–Gileso1 Wen2-che2
Tongyong PinyinKe Wún-jhé
IPA[kʰɤ́ wə̌n.ʈʂɤ̌]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJKoa Bûn-tiat

Ko Wen-je (Chinese: 柯文哲; pinyin: Kē Wénzhé; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koa Bûn-tiat; born 6 August 1960; also known by his nickname, Ko P (Chinese: 柯P; pinyin: Kē Pī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koa Phi)) is a Taiwanese politician and physician who served as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He has been the chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) since founding it in 2019.

Before becoming mayor, he was a doctor 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.[1] 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). 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 the unofficial primary, gaining support from the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union (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.

Ko was the official presidential nominee of the TPP for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. He presented his campaign as a “third way” between DPP and Kuomintang (KMT), the two parties that have traditionally dominated Taiwan's political landscape.[2]

  1. ^ "Biography at NTUH". Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
  2. ^ "Ko Wen-Je: Taiwan's 'Grey Rhino' President-to-be?". London Politica. Retrieved 2023-10-03.