Ko Wen-je portrays himself as tragic hero, laying the ground for political comeback

The release of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je from detention is set to shake up domestic politics and could lay the ground for a political comeback — if he plays his cards right, analysts said.

- Yip Wai Yee

TAIPEI -

The 66-year-old, whose Taiwan People's Party (TPP) is seen as a third force in Taiwan, had been detained without visitation rights for a year since September 2024 under multiple charges of corruption — all of which he has denied.

Besides being accused of accepting bribes involving a real estate deal, he also allegedly embezzled political donations during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Ko was released on Sept 8 after posting bail of NT$70 million (S$2.96 million), the highest in Taiwan's history for a political figure. Under the terms of the release, he must stay at a registered address, wear a device equipped with a tracking system and is barred from leaving Taiwan.

Despite being charged with corruption in December 2024, Ko has managed to turn the narrative in his favour by cultivating the image of being a persecuted political victim, analysts said. Some local media outlets have gone so far as to describe him as having the halo of "Taiwan's Mandela".

"Ko is portraying himself as a tragic hero, because the more of a victim he appears to be, the more support he will get from his supporters," Professor Yeh Yao-yuan, a Taiwan studies expert at University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas, told The Straits Times.

"If he hopes to return to politics in the future, this strategy would seem reasonable," he said.

According to Ko, Taipei prosecutors have yet to find anything incriminating despite the intense scrutiny targeting him, his family and party members over the past year.