Ko Wen-je Net Worth

Background and career

Ko Wen-je (Chinese: 柯文哲; pinyin: Kē Wénzhé; 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 and traumatology, Ko earned his doctorate from National Taiwan University in 2002, became a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), and taught as a professor at the National Taiwan University College of Medicine. Before entering politics, he pioneered the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Taiwan and led efforts to standardize organ transplant procedures.

In the 2014 local elections, Ko ran successfully as an independent candidate for the Taipei mayoralty, defeating Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Sean Lien with the support of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). During his mayoralty, he expanded public housing projects and introduced new transportation infrastructure initiatives, while his relationship with the DPP deteriorated over political differences, including those related to cross-strait relations. He won re-election in the 2018 Taipei mayoral election and established the TPP as a third way alternative to the KMT and DPP. After leaving office, he ran in the 2024 presidential election with Cynthia Wu as his running mate and placed third, after Lai Ching-te and Hou Yu-ih, with 26 percent of the popular vote.

In August 2024, Ko was arrested during a corruption investigation involving the Core Pacific City redevelopment project during his time as mayor and alleged mishandling of political donations. He spent a year in pretrial detention before being released on bail in September 2025. In March 2026, the Taipei District Court convicted him for bribery and embezzlement, sentencing him to 17 years in prison and six years' deprivation of civil rights. Ko has denied wrongdoing and appealed the verdict, while his prosecution and imprisonment have prompted controversy and allegations of politically motivated persecution.