Ko Wen-je facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ko Wen-je
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| 柯文哲 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ko in 2024
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| 1st Chairman of the Taiwan People's Party | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 August 2019 – 1 January 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Huang Kuo-chang | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th Mayor of Taipei | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 December 2014 – 25 December 2022 |
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| Deputy |
See list
Charles Lin
Chou Li-fang Chen Chin-jun Teng Chia-chi Pong Cheng-sheng Tsai Ping-kun Huang Shan-shan |
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| Preceded by | Hau Lung-pin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Chiang Wan-an | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 August 1959 Hsinchu City, Taiwan |
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| Political party | Taiwan People's Party (2019–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Peggy Chen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Ho Jui-ying Ko Cheng-fa |
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| Relatives | Ko Mei-lan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Republic of China |
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| Branch/service |  ROC Army |
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| Years of service | 1986–1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Second lieutenant | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | 269th Mechanized Infantry Division | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 柯文哲 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Ko Wen-je (born 6 August 1959), also known as Ko P, is a Taiwanese politician and doctor. He was the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He also started the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) in 2019 and was its first leader until 2025.
Before he became a politician, Ko Wen-je was a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital. He was also a professor at National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He helped create new ways to do organ transplants in Taiwan. He also brought a special medical machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to Taiwan.
Ko Wen-je ran for mayor of Taipei as an independent candidate in 2014 and 2018. After being mayor for two terms, he ran for president in 2024. He wanted to offer a "third way" in Taiwan's politics. This was different from the two main parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ko Wen-je was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 1959. He grew up in a family that didn't have a lot of money. His father, Ko Cheng-fa, wanted him to become a medical doctor. His mother is Ho Jui-ying. Ko's grandfather was a teacher who passed away after an event called the February 28 incident.
Ko went to National Hsinchu Senior High School from 1974 to 1977. He was the best student in his class and won many awards. He studied medicine at National Yang-Ming University for one year. Then, in 1979, he went to National Taiwan University (NTU). He earned his medical degree from NTU in 1986. He also studied at the University of Minnesota in the US from 1993 to 1994. In 2002, he earned his Ph.D. in clinical medicine from NTU.
From 1986 to 1988, Ko served in the Republic of China Army. He was a combat medic with the rank of second lieutenant. This was part of his military service.
Medical Career
After finishing university in 1986, Ko passed his medical license exams with the highest score in the country. He chose to specialize in surgery and critical care. He worked in areas like trauma, intensive care, organ transplant, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In 1993, he studied artificial liver research at the University of Minnesota.
When he returned to Taiwan in 1994, Ko helped start NTU's first organ transplant team. They wanted to perform heart transplants. Ko brought ECMO technology from the US to Taiwan. This helped improve the success rate of transplants. In 2008, Ko set a world record by keeping a patient alive for 117 days using ECMO. He also created standards for organ transplant procedures. These standards were later used across Taiwan.
Ko became well-known after helping save Shirley Shaw in 2006. She was the wife of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu and was in a coma after a car accident. Ko used ECMO to save her life.
In 2010, Ko started the idea of integrated care in Taiwan. He set up a special unit at NTU Hospital to make medical care better and more affordable. He also led the team that treated Sean Lien after he was shot in 2010.
Mayoral Elections
2014 Election
On 6 January 2014, Ko Wen-je announced he would run for Taipei City Mayor. He decided to run as an independent candidate. He worked with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but he did not join their party.
Ko won the Taipei mayoral election on 29 November 2014. He became the first doctor to be mayor of Taipei since direct elections began. He appointed Teng Chia-chi, Charles Lin, and Chou Li-fang as his deputy mayors.
| 2014 Taipei mayoral election result | ||||||
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| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | ||
| 1 | Chen Ju-pin | Self Help Party | 1,624 | 0.11% | ||
| 2 | Chao Yen-ching | Independent | 15,898 | 1.06% | ||
| 3 | Lee Hung-hsin (李宏信) | Independent | 2,621 | 0.18% | ||
| 4 | Chen Yung-chang | 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% |
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2018 Election
In the 2018 Taipei mayoral election, the DPP did not support Ko. They had their own candidate. However, many voters who usually supported the DPP still voted for Ko. They thought he had a better chance to win against the Kuomintang candidate. Ko was reelected by a small margin.
| 2018 Taipei mayoral election result | |||||
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| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | |
| 1 | Wu Er-yang | .svg){kind=icon} Independent |
5,617 | 0.40% | |
| 2 | Ting Shou-chung | Kuomintang | 577,566 | 40.82% | |
| 3 | Pasuya Yao | Democratic Progressive Party | 244,641 | 17.29% | |
| 4 | Ko Wen-je | Independent |
580,820 | 41.05% |
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| 5 | Lee Si-kuen | Independent |
6,172 | 0.44% | |
| Total voters | 2,164,155 | ||||
| Valid votes | 1,413,870 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 13,355 | ||||
| Voter turnout | 65.95% | ||||
Mayor of Taipei (2014–2022)
During his eight years as mayor, Ko Wen-je worked on several important projects for Taipei City.
Housing for Everyone
Ko's office built and finished 4,807 new social housing units. These are homes that are more affordable for people. They also finished 1,297 units that were started by the previous mayor. When Ko left office, another 8,226 social housing units were still being built. By the end of 2022, Taipei City had 11,383 public housing units ready for people to live in.
Modernizing Markets
Ko started projects to rebuild several old markets in Taipei. These included Dalong Market, Huannan Market, Chenggong Market, and Nanmen Market. The old markets were not good enough for modern hygiene and safety. Some buildings even had problems with their concrete. Dalong Market was finished in 2019, Huannan Market in 2020, and Nanmen Market in 2023.
West Taipei City Improvements
Ko also started a big project to improve the west part of Taipei. This project, called the Taipei West District Gateway Project, aimed to make the area better for families. It added new parks and places for fun. It also highlighted the area's history. The plan also helped traffic flow better and made the area more beautiful. This area is important because it has Taipei Main Station, a major transportation hub.
Clean Water Supply
The Ko government worked to replace all old lead pipes in Taipei. They finished this by September 2017. This helped 17,714 homes get safer drinking water. The original plan was to replace these pipes by 2025, but Ko sped up the process. This happened after concerns about lead in drinking water in Hong Kong in 2015.
Preparing for Emergencies
Ko built two large detention basins in the Wenshan District. These basins help prevent flash floods during heavy rain. Construction started in 2015, and both basins were ready by October 2017. They can hold 45,000 cubic meters of water. With these new basins, the Wenshan district can handle more rain without flooding.
Paying Off Debt
During Ko's time as mayor, Taipei City paid off NT$57.1 billion of its debt. When he left office at the end of 2022, the city's debt was NT$89.8 billion. This was much less than the NT$146.9 billion it had when he first became mayor. Most of the debt was paid off between 2015 and 2019.
Taiwan People's Party
Ko Wen-je started the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) in August 2019. He said he wanted to give people in Taiwan another choice. This choice would be different from the two main political groups, the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang. As of 2025, the TPP is the third largest political party in Taiwan. It has eight members in the Legislative Yuan, which is like Taiwan's parliament.
2024 Presidential Campaign
Announcing His Candidacy
On 8 May 2023, Ko Wen-je was the only person to register for the Taiwan People's Party's primary election for president. On 17 May, the TPP officially chose Ko as their candidate for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. He then formally announced his campaign on 20 May.
His Political Ideas
Ko was a candidate from a third party, meaning he was not from the two biggest parties. He wanted to bring real change to Taiwan. His main focus was on everyday issues for people, like the high cost of housing and low wages.
For relations with China, Ko wanted a practical approach. He aimed for a middle ground between the DPP and the KMT. He was open to improving ties with China through cultural exchanges and working together on economic matters. He also promised to increase Taiwan's defense spending.
Talks with KMT
On 15 November 2023, the TPP and KMT leaders announced a plan to run together for president. They planned to have one joint ticket with Ko and KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih. However, Ko and the KMT leaders could not agree on the details. On 19 November, Ko said he would still run as the TPP's presidential candidate. He officially registered his candidacy with Cynthia Wu as his running mate on 24 November.
Election Results
On 13 January 2024, Ko received 26.46% of the votes. He accepted that he did not win the election against Lai Ching-te. Ko said that the TPP had shown that Taiwan's politics were no longer only controlled by the Pan-Blue or Pan-Green coalition groups.
Political Stances
Relations with China
Ko Wen-je has said he would be practical about foreign policy, including relations with China and the US. He wanted to use both defense and talking to keep relations with China stable and maintain peace. He believed Taiwan was in the middle of a rivalry between China and the US. He suggested a "dynamic equilibrium" to manage this three-way relationship. This means Taiwan should be flexible and adjust its policies as needed.
Ko believed that Taiwan needed a strong military to talk with China. He called for increasing Taiwan’s defense spending. He also wanted to improve relations with democratic friends in the region. He planned to have high-level defense talks with Japan and the US.
Ko emphasized that talking with China was necessary for peace. He mentioned his experience organizing the annual Taipei-Shanghai City Forum as an example of cross-strait exchange. On the topic of Taiwan independence, Ko said that keeping things as they are was the only practical choice. He believed declaring independence would lead to conflict. He has not supported the 1992 Consensus, which China often mentions. Instead, he suggested "five mutual principles" for both sides to "know, understand, respect, cooperate with, and forgive" each other.
Ko has also supported better economic relations with mainland China. He suggested restarting talks on the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China, but with new rules for openness. He also proposed building a bridge between Kinmen and Xiamen. He thought this would help Kinmen with water, power, and waste issues.
Personal Life
Ko's wife, Chen Pei-chi, is from Penghu, Taiwan. She is also a doctor and is the director of Pediatrics for Taipei City Hospital. Ko and Chen have three children: one boy and two girls. Ko has mentioned that he believes he has Asperger syndrome, though he had not been officially diagnosed as of 2014. His son has the condition.
See also
In Spanish: Ko Wen-je para niños
