Former media personality Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) yesterday accused Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of sexually harassing her in 2022.
Chu made the remarks after a report by Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine yesterday said Chu met with Ko on Oct. 5, 2022, for a meeting during which Ko allegedly suddenly reached out to touch her arm.
The report said that when she was leaving, Ko repeatedly told Chu that one should not be so pretty and called her a “temptress.”
Photo: CNA
Ko allegedly later texted Chu and said he would hire her as the National Security Council deputy secretary-general, the report said.
Chu later spoke to the media alongside Yogi Hsuan (宣昶有), the son of United Microelectronics Corp honorary deputy chairman John Hsuan (宣明智), and showed screenshots of the alleged messages to the media.
Yogi Hsuan said he was at the meeting and was shocked to see Ko’s behavior.
TPP spokeswoman Wu Yi-hsuan (吳怡萱) said the TPP could not verify the accuracy of the magazine report and Chu’s allegation, as Ko is detained and barred from accepting visitors.
The TPP supports Chu’s right to take the issue to court, Wu said, adding that the party believed that both sides of the story should be heard.
Wu also referred to another article by the magazine describing reports of Ko having close interaction with his female aide as far-fetched, condemning the magazine for publishing “rumors and hearsay,” sexualizing the incident and misleading the public.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
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