Ko Wen-je (Chinese: 柯文哲; born 6 August 1959), also known by his nickname, Ko P, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and surgeon 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.
Read more...The August 6, 1959 was a Thursday under the star sign of ♌. It was the 217 day of the year. President of the United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower.
If you were born on this day, you are 66 years old. Your last birthday was on the Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 48 days ago. Your next birthday is on Thursday, August 6, 2026, in 316 days. You have lived for 24,155 days, or about 579,732 hours, or about 34,783,931 minutes, or about 2,087,035,860 seconds.
Date: 07 August 1959
Special to The New York Times
W Ger Min Seebohm repts French, Ital, Belgian and W Ger airlines will merge operations, '61, to meet US competition
Date: 07 August 1959
By CRAIG CLAIBORNE
Craig CLAIBORNE
Date: 07 August 1959
By JOHN W. RANDOLPH
John RANDOLPH
Date: 07 August 1959
reassignments of news dept execs in London, NY and Chicago
Date: 06 August 1959
radio frequency mgt div formed; W B Hawthorne mgr
Date: 06 August 1959
New mail ship for Lake Victoria being sent overland in hundreds of pkgs; to be assembled on Lake