Ko Wen-je
Ko Wen-je | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 柯文哲 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ko in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Chairman of the Taiwan People's Party | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 August 2019 – 1 January 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Huang Kuo-chang | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th Mayor of Taipei | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 December 2014 – 25 December 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | See list
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| Preceded by | Hau Lung-pin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Chiang Wan-an | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 August 1959 Hsinchu City, Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Taiwan People's Party (2019–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Peggy Chen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Ho Jui-ying Ko Cheng-fa | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Ko Mei-lan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Republic of China | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | ROC Army | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 (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 entering politics, Ko was a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital and a professor at National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He played leading roles in standardizing organ transplant procedures in Taiwan and introducing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) technology to Taiwan. Apart from his practice, he is known for his numerous media appearances and interviews as a social and political commentator.
Ko ran as an independent candidate in both the 2014 and 2018 Taipei mayoral elections. After serving two terms as mayor, he ran as the TPP nominee in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election with Cynthia Wu as his running mate. He presented his campaign as a "third way" between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT), the two parties that have traditionally dominated Taiwan's political landscape.
In August 2024, prosecutors detained Ko to investigate a property development project from his time as mayor. Ko’s detention triggered protests against political persecution. Prosecutors indicted him on bribery and other corruption charges in December 2024. As of March 2025, he remains in incommunicado detention awaiting trial.