Ko Wen-je (; born 6 August 1959), also known by his nickname Ko P, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and transplant surgeon who served as the 13th mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He founded the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) in 2019 and was the party's first chairman until 2025.
A specialist in intensive care medicine, Ko earned a doctorate from National Taiwan University in 2002, became a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital, and taught as a professor at the National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He played leading roles in standardizing organ transplant procedures in Taiwan and pioneered the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Taiwan. Apart from his practice, he is known for his numerous media appearances and interviews as a social and political commentator.
In the 2014 local elections, Ko ran successfully as an independent candidate for the Taipei mayoralty, defeating Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Sean Lien. He was re-elected as mayor in the 2018 local elections. After serving two mayoral terms, he ran in the 2024 presidential election as the presidential nominee of his new Taiwan People's Party, with Cynthia Wu as his running mate. He campaigned as a "third way" between the DPP and KMT, the two parties which have traditionally dominated elections in Taiwan, and placed third, after Hou Yu-ih and Lai Ching-te.
In August 2024, prosecutors detained Ko to investigate a property development project from his time as mayor, and indicted him on bribery and other corruption charges in December 2024. He was detained, incommunicado, until being released from detention on bail of NT$70 million (US$2.32 million) in September 2025. Ko’s detention triggered claims of political persecution and protests.
Early life and education
Ko Wen-je was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on August 6, 1959, to Ho Jui-ying () and Ko Cheng-fa (; 1932–2025). He has a younger brother and sister, both of whom earned doctorates in information management and physiology, respectively. His father, Cheng-fa, was an elementary school teacher who graduated from the National Hsinchu University of Education. His paternal grandfather, Ko Shih-yuan (柯世元), was a teacher who was arrested and tortured during the February 28 incident, and died three years after. His paternal great-grandfather, Ko Hsien-yin (柯賢蔭), was the manager of a Buddhist temple in Baoshan, Hsinchu.
In 1974, Ko began attending National Hsinchu Senior High School, where four uncles and his brother had previously attended. He won awards in multiple subjects— including mathematics, biology, chemistry, and English—and graduated in 1977 as class valedictorian. In 1978, he enrolled at National Yang-Ming University to study medicine, but chose to resit the college entrance examinations and transferred to National Taiwan University (NTU) in 1979. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine (M.B.) from NTU in 1986. As a medical student, he worked in the emergency care and intensive care units at the National Taiwan University Hospital. In order to pay for the school's tuition, Ko's father went to the Marshall Islands to work as a plumber and electrician.
From 1993 to 1994, Ko studied in the United States at the University of Minnesota, where he was a clinical research fellow in surgery, specialized in organ transplantation, and began a medical research project on artificial livers. He returned to NTU in September 1994 to complete doctoral studies in medicine and earned his Ph.D. in clinical medicine in 2002. His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Clinical applications and prognosis projection" (Chinese: 體外膜氧合術:臨床應用與預後之預測).
Medical career After graduating from the National Taiwan University College of Medicine in June 1986, Ko briefly worked as an anesthetist at a local Hsinchu hospital. He had sat the medical license exams and attained the highest score nationwide. In October 1986, he was conscripted into the Republic of China Army and served in the 269th mechanized infantry division until August 1988. During his military service, Ko was a combat medic with the rank of second lieutenant.
In September 1988, Ko became a resident physician in surgery at National Taiwan University Hospital. On the advice of his professor, , he specialized in surgery and critical care in the NTU Department of Emergency Medicine. He also specialized in trauma, intensive care, organ transplant, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and artificial organs. In 1994, Ko, with an invitation from Chu Shu-hsun, helped found NTU's first organ transplant team, with the goal of performing heart transplants. Hoping to increase the transplant success rate, Ko introduced ECMO treatment from the US, and improved the transplant success rate from 19% to 51%. On 30 January 2008, Ko set a world record of 117 consecutive days for keeping a patient alive using ECMO. Using US treatment standards as a guide, Ko established a set of standards for organ transplant procedures that was later promulgated throughout Taiwan by the Department of Health.
On 15 July 2006, Ko wrote an article for the Min Sheng Daily titled "Reflections, Errors, and Apologies: Chao Chien-ming" that received considerable media attention and led to a number of politics-related interviews. On 18 November, Ko used ECMO to save the life of Shirley Shaw, wife of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu, who had fallen into a coma after a car accident. This incident and the media attention it drew caused Ko Wen-je to become a household name.
In 2010, Ko introduced the concept of integrated care to Taiwan, and established the Integrated Care Unit at NTU Hospital with the aim of reducing treatment cost and improving quality of treatment and quality of life for the attendant doctors and nurses. Ko directed the emergency care team that treated Sean Lien for critical wounds after he was shot in the face with a 9mm pistol on 26 November. Lien recovered quickly, which led the media to speculate about the veracity of his story, but Ko came forward to verify his claims. In 2013, Ko's emergency trauma care student Tseng Yu-tzu was hit by a drunk driver and sustained major trauma. Ko went to the hospital as soon as he was notified and oversaw her treatment, but she died. As a result of this incident, Ko founded .
Relationship with Chen Shui-bian When Chen Shui-bian was elected as Taipei City Mayor in 1994, Ko provided support to him from the medical community. He also supported Chen in the 2000 presidential election, when he took two weeks off work to support Chen's fundraising efforts. Ko is also a long-time member of the "Friends of A-bian Club". In April 2012, Ko enrolled in a course at , a school originally founded by Chen in 2003. In response to the political nature of the course and its timing, Ko explained that he enrolled because he had been asked to, and that he would not sign a petition requesting that Chen be pardoned for corruption charges.
When Chen Shui-bian's health declined in prison, Ko organized a medical team for him. Around June 2012, Ko and other prominent members of the medical community started a petition asking that Chen be released for medical treatment. Ko made numerous statements expressing his view that Chen should be granted compassionate release.
Mayoral elections
2014 election On 6 January 2014, Ko announced his candidacy for Taipei City Mayor. On 16 January, he set up a campaign office and began recruiting campaign staff and volunteers. Ko said that his being targeted for punishment in the was the main factor in his decision to run for mayor. Ko was hesitant about joining the DPP, and he ultimately decided to run as an independent while coordinating with the DPP. After Pasuya Yao made it through the first round of DPP primaries, Ko agreed to a debate on 12 June, and subsequently won the DPP polls. On 16 June, the DPP agreed not to put forward a candidate for the election, and to support Ko as the representative of the Pan-Green Coalition, without forcing Ko to join any political party.
On 10 November, Ko announced his intention to reject further monetary donations to his campaign, as the amount received by 31 October exceeded the NT$87 million cap set for Taipei mayoral elections. Ko's campaign was managed by Yao Li-ming (general manager), Lee Ying-yuan (political platform), Chi Cheng (civic organizations), and Chiou Yue-yee ("We Care" youth organization). Ko's advisers included political scientist and politician Julian Kuo, political activist and filmmaker Yang Huei-ju, and former DPP secretary Chang Yee-shan. DPP city councillor Chien Yue-yen, neurologist Pan Cheng-chih, and two recruits from youth outreach efforts were the acting spokespeople for the campaign.
Ko emerged the winner in the Taipei mayoral election on 29 November 2014, becoming the first physician mayor of the city since the introduction of direct election to the office. He appointed Teng Chia-chi, , and Chou Li-fang deputy mayors. Chou resigned her post in January 2016 and was replaced by Chen Chin-jun.
2014 Taipei mayoral election resultNo. Candidate Party Votes Percentage1Self Help Party1,6240.11%2Independent15,8981.06%3Lee Hung-hsin ()Independent2,6210.18%4Independent1,9080.13%5Neil PengIndependent8,0800.54%6Sean LienKuomintang609,93240.82%7Ko Wen-jeIndependent853,98357.16%
2018 election Unlike in 2014, the DPP did not endorse Ko in the 2018 Taipei mayoral election and instead fielded their own candidate. Nevertheless, Ko received significant support from pan-Green voters, many of whom saw Ko as having a more realistic chance of defeating the Kuomintang candidate. Ko was narrowly reelected. 2018 Taipei mayoral election result No. Candidate Party Votes Percentage 1 Independent 5,6170.40% 2 Kuomintang577,56640.82% 3 Pasuya Yao Democratic Progressive Party244,64117.29% 4 Ko Wen-je Independent 580,82041.05% 5 Independent6,1720.44% Total voters 2,164,155 Valid votes 1,413,870 Invalid votes 13,355 Voter turnout 65.95%
In March 2019, Ko named Tsai Ping-kun a deputy mayor of Taipei.
Mayor of Taipei (2014–2022)
Housing justice
During Ko's eight years in office, his office started and completed 4,807 units of social housing. In addition, he completed another 1,297 units that were started but not completed by his predecessor, Hau Lung-pin. When Ko left office in December 2022, another 8,226 units of social housing that Ko had started were under construction. As of 31 December 2022, the total public housing stock in Taipei City, excluding incomplete units, numbered 11,383.
Market reconstruction Ko began the process of reconstructing various markets, including Dalong Market, Huannan Market, Chenggong Market, and Nanmen Market. The old markets and their outdated designs were no longer adequate to support modern hygiene practices and public safety. In addition, there were unacceptable levels of chloride ions in the reinforced concrete buildings of both Dalong Market and Nanmen Market. Colloquially known as , buildings constructed with such concrete corrode over time, leading to mechanical failure and collapse. Dalong Market's reconstruction was completed and it reopened to the public in 2019; Huannan Market in 2020; and Nanmen Market in 2023.
West Taipei Urban Renewal Plan
Ko embarked on an extensive urban renewal project in Taipei's west end, directly translated as the Taipei West District Gateway Project. Comprising many interconnected projects, the plan aimed to create a more livable and family-friendly neighborhood with new options for parks and recreation, while highlighting the area's history. The plan's goals also included improving traffic flows, increasing foot traffic, and beautifying the environment. The area acts as a gateway to Taipei because it is where Taipei Main Station is located, a major transit hub served by Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taiwan Railway, Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Airport MRT, and numerous bus lines.
Water supply