15 Facts About Ko Wen-je

Ko Wen-je, known by his nickname, Ko P, is a Taiwanese politician and physician who served as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022.

Ko Wen-je founded the Taiwan People's Party in 2019 and served as its first chairman until 2025.

Ko Wen-je played leading roles in standardizing organ transplant procedures in Taiwan and introducing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation technology to Taiwan.

Ko Wen-je presented his campaign as a "third way" between the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang, the two parties that have traditionally dominated Taiwan's political landscape.

Ko Wen-je studied medicine for a year at National Yang-Ming University in Beitou District before entering National Taiwan University in 1979 after resitting his entrance exams.

Ko Wen-je was a combat medic with the rank of second lieutenant.

Ko Wen-je specialized in fields including trauma, intensive care, organ transplant, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and artificial organs.

Ko Wen-je supported Chen in the 2000 presidential election, when he took two weeks off work to support Chen's fundraising efforts.

Ko Wen-je's platform focused on domestic bread-and-butter issues like the high cost of housing and low wages.

Ko Wen-je said that he would pursue both deterrence and dialogue to stabilize relations with China and maintain peace, and that he offered a middle ground between what he described as the KMT's submissiveness toward Beijing and the DPP's approach of provoking conflict.

Ko Wen-je explained it as an "attitude" with which peace can be maintained.

Ko Wen-je proposed restarting talks on the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China, but with new transparency requirements; he withdrew the proposal after public criticism.

Ko Wen-je proposed building a bridge between Kinmen and Xiamen, suggesting that it would solve many of Kinmen's problems related to water, power supply, and waste disposal.

Ko Wen-je graduated from Makung Senior High School and National Taiwan University's Department of Medicine.

Ko Wen-je is the director of Pediatrics for Taipei City Hospital, Heping Fuyou Women and Children's Health Branch.