Ko Wen-je

Ko Wen-je
Ko Wen-je
柯文哲
	Ko in 2024
1st Chairman of the Taiwan People's Party
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 6 August 2019
Secretary General	See list Chang Che-yang; Hsieh Li-kung; Tom Chou; ;
Preceded by	Position established
13th Mayor of Taipei
	In office; 25 December 2014 – 25 December 2022
Deputy	See list Charles Lin; Chou Li-fang; Chen Chin-jun; Teng Chia-chi; Pong Cheng-sheng; Tsai Ping-kun; Huang Shan-shan;
Preceded by	Hau Lung-pin
Succeeded by	Chiang Wan-an
Personal details
Born	6 August 1960 (age 63); 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	National Yang-Ming University; National Taiwan University (BS, MD, PhD);
Military service
Branch/service	Republic of China Army
Years of service	1986–1988
Rank	Second lieutenant
Chinese name
Chinese	柯文哲
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Kē Wénzhé
Bopomofo	ㄎㄜㄨㄣˊ ㄓㄜˊ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh	Ke Wenjer
Wade–Giles	Kʻo1 Wen2-che2
Tongyong Pinyin	Ke Wún-jhé
IPA	[kʰɤ́ wə̌n.ʈʂɤ̌]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Koa 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]

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

[1] "Biography at NTUH". Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2014-09-22.

[:0-2] "Ko Wen-Je: Taiwan's 'Grey Rhino' President-to-be?". London Politica. Retrieved 2023-10-03.

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