Han Kuo-yu
Han Kuo-yu | |
---|---|
韓國瑜 | |
File:Han Kuo-yu(cropped).jpg | |
Mayor of Kaohsiung | |
Assumed office 25 December 2018 | |
Deputy | Lee Shu-chuan Yeh Kuang-shih |
Preceded by | Chen Chu Hsu Li-ming (acting) |
Member of the Legislative Yuan | |
In office 1 February 1999 – 31 January 2002 | |
Constituency | New Taipei City 3 |
In office 1 February 1993 – 31 January 1999 | |
Constituency | Taipei County |
Personal details | |
Born | Taipei County, Taiwan | 17 June 1957
Nationality | Republic of China |
Political party | Kuomintang |
Spouse | Lee Chia-fen |
Education | Master's degree |
Alma mater | Soochow University National Chengchi University Republic of China Military Academy |
Occupation | Politician |
Han Kuo-yu (Chinese: 韓國瑜; pinyin: Hán Guóyú; born 17 June 1957), also known by his English name Daniel Han,[1] is a Taiwanese politician. He was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1993 to 2002, representing a portion of Taipei County for three terms. He later became general manager of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation. In 2017, Han contested the Kuomintang chairmanship, losing to Wu Den-yih. Han was elected Mayor of Kaohsiung in November 2018, and became the first Kuomintang politician since Wu in 1998 to hold the office.
Early life, education, and career
Han was born in Taiwan to parents from Henan,[2] on 17 June 1957.[3][4] He studied English literature at Soochow University after graduating from the Republic of China Military Academy, and he earned a Master of Laws in East Asian studies from the National Chengchi University.[5][6][7] Prior to running for public office, Han was a school principal.[8]
Early political career
He was first elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1992 and remained in office until 2002, serving for a time as Kuomintang (KMT) caucus leader.[9] As a legislator, he became known for his combative personality.[10] Han then served as deputy mayor of Zhonghe under mayor Chiu Chui-yi .[11][12]
After leaving politics, Han lived in Yunlin County, where he became friendly with former Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Jung-wei. Due to their friendly relationship, Han was believed to be Chang's ally.[13][14] In January 2013, with Chang's support, Han became the general manager of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation (TAPMC), a corporation jointly owned by Taipei City and the Council of Agriculture. The TAPMC manages the produce demands of the greater Taipei area.[15][16]
2017 KMT chairmanship election
In January 2017, Han resigned from his position as president of TAPMC to enter that year's Kuomintang chairmanship election.[17][18] He finished fourth in a field of six candidates. Following his loss to Wu Den-yih, Han served as the Kuomintang's Kaohsiung chapter director.[19]
2017 Kuomintang chairmanship election | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | ||
1 | Wu Den-yih | Template:KMT | 144,408 | 52.24% | ![]() | |
2 | Hung Hsiu-chu | Template:KMT | 53,063 | 19.20% | ||
3 | Hau Lung-pin | Template:KMT | 44,301 | 16.03% | ||
4 | Han Kuo-yu | Template:KMT | 16,141 | 5.84% | ||
5 | Steve Chan | Template:KMT | 12,332 | 4.46% | ||
6 | Tina Pan | Template:KMT | 2,437 | 0.88% | ||
Eligible voters | 476,147 | |||||
Total votes | 276,423 | |||||
Valid votes | 272,682 | |||||
Invalid votes | 3,741 | |||||
Turnout | 58.05% |
Mayor of Kaohsiung
2018 Kaohsiung mayoral campaign and election
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/The_campaign_rally_of_Han_Kuo-yu_in_Fengshan%2C_Kaohsiung.jpg/220px-The_campaign_rally_of_Han_Kuo-yu_in_Fengshan%2C_Kaohsiung.jpg)
In May 2018, Han won the Kuomintang's Kaohsiung mayoral primary, and was subsequently nominated as the party's mayoral candidate.[19]
2018 Kuomintang Kaohsiung City mayoral primary results | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidates | Place | Result | ||
Han Kuo-yu | Nominated | 64.898% | ||
Arthur Chen | 2nd | 35.102% |
During the initial campaign stage, he received almost no support from the party as he was seen as unlikely to win the election. This is due to the traditionally deep-rooted Democratic Progressive Party presence in Kaohsiung. However, his popularity soared within months during the campaign period, which also benefited other KMT candidates.[20][21] His mayoral campaign drew wide attention and support.[5][22] Because part of his name, Han Kuo, is identical to the word for Korea (Chinese: 韓國; pinyin: Hánguó), this phenomenon was referred to as "Hánliú" (Chinese: 韓流; referencing the Korean Wave).[5][22] The main focus of his campaign was on the air pollution and economic growth of Kaohsiung. Campaigning on what he called Kaohsiung's economic stagnation that has led to a brain drain of students to Northern Taiwan, his campaign was able not just to turn out a usually dormant pan-Blue voting bloc in Kaohsiung, but also convinced many pan-Green voters to switch sides with his promises of greater economic development.[23][24]
Han defeated Chen Chi-mai in local elections held on 24 November 2018, and became the first Mayor of Kaohsiung affiliated with the Kuomintang since Wu Den-yih left office in 1998.[25]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Kaohsiung_2018.png/220px-Kaohsiung_2018.png)
2018 Kaohsiung City mayoral results[26][27] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | |
1 | Han Kuo-yu | ![]() |
892,545 | 53.87% | ![]() |
2 | Chen Chi-mai | File:Green Taiwan in White Cross.svg Democratic Progressive Party | 742,239 | 44.80% | |
3 | Chu Mei-feng | ![]() |
7,998 | 0.48% | |
4 | Su Ying-kuei | ![]() |
14,125 | 0.85% | |
Total voters | 2,281,338 | ||||
Valid votes | 1,656,907 | ||||
Invalid votes | |||||
Voter turnout | 72.63% |
Mayor-elect
Trying to fulfill his election campaign to make Kaohsiung a richer city, a day after he won the mayoral election Han invited Foxconn to invest in Kaohsiung.[28] In addition, he sought fluent English speakers to fill vacancies in his administration pertaining to promotion and public relations.[29] Han expressed support for the 1992 consensus and stated that he would form committees dedicated to Cross-Strait relations.[30] On 3 December 2018, it was announced that former Transport and Communications Minister Yeh Kuang-shih would be Han's deputy mayor. Lee Shu-chuan's appointment to the same role was announced on 15 December 2018.[31]
Inauguration ceremony
On the morning of 25 December 2018, Han and his wife took a boat along the Love River to reach the inauguration ceremony venue. During the ceremony, he promised to promote Kaohsiung products, facilitate the inflow of money to the city, pay off the city's debt and invest in the future generations of Kaohsiung. He also stated that the city belongs to the people of Kaohsiung and not a particular political party.[32]
2019 Malaysia and Singapore visit
On 24 February 2019, Han began a five-day trip to Malaysia and Singapore, his first official overseas visit after assuming the mayoralty. During his visit, Han sought to discuss business and tourism opportunities in Kaohsiung.[33]
2019 Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China visit
In March 2019, Han and a delegation of municipal officials visited Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China for a seven-day trip to discuss agriculture. Members of the delegation included Han and his wife, deputy mayor Yeh Kuang-shih, and ten Kaohsiung City Councilors. They arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on 22 March 2019 and were welcomed by Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip and Hong Kong Liaison Office Taiwan Department head Yang Liuchang. Also present to greet Han was Kao Ming-tsun, acting head of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong.[34]
In Hong Kong, Han met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the Government House, followed by a visit to the Hong Kong Liaison Office, where he met with the office director Wang Zhimin, making him the first ROC politician to ever visit the liaison office.[35][36][34][37]
Han continued his trip to Macau on 23 March 2019 through the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge.[38] Upon arrival in Macau, he met with Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui at the Macau Government Headquarters. Afterwards, the delegation continued their trip to Tap Seac Health Centre, where Han was briefed about the public health service in Macau. Han then visited the Food Products Exhibition Center in Tap Seac Square. In the afternoon, the delegation attended the Macau–Kaohsiung Investment and Trade Conference and Agreement signing ceremony at Macau Tower. From the conference, the delegation visited the Galaxy Macau where Han met with Galaxy Entertainment Group Deputy Chairperson and Executive Director and Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited Chairman and CEO. He also visited the Macau Liaison Office and had a dinner with the liaison office's director Fu Ziying in the evening at New Bamboo Mansion in Penha Hill.[39][40] The next day, the delegation also visited Macau Jockey Club, in which Han met with legislator and gaming executive Leong On-kei. They then continued their trip to the University of Macau where Han visited the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine.
After the delegates arrived in Shenzhen, Han visited the civic center of the city and Guangdong Free-Trade Zone. He also met with Taiwan Affairs Office Director Liu Jieyi and Shenzhen Communist Party Secretary Wang Weizhong.[41]
After arriving in Xiamen on 26 March 2019, Han signed trade deals on fruits and fishery products worth US$30 million with local enterprises. The delegation also visited Xiamen International Cruise Center and Xiamen Planning Exhibition Hall. Over the course of the trip, Han reached agreements on trade deals worth a total of NT$5.2 billion.[42]
2019 United States visit
On 9 April 2019, Han embarked on a nine-day visit to the United States, where he visited Boston, Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley. During the trip, Han sought to encourage American investment in Kaohsiung. He met with Congresspeople Ted Lieu and Judy Chu and also Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nina Hachigian.[43] Han also gave speeches at Harvard University and Stanford University.[44]
2020 presidential campaign
Soon after Han took office as mayor, support of Han as a candidate for the 2020 Taiwan presidential election began to build.[45][46] Han initially refused calls for him to contest the election,[47] and later stated that he would not participate in the 2019 Kuomintang presidential primary.[48][49] A week after that statement, Han said that he would abide by Kuomintang's primary process.[50] On 5 June 2019, Han announced that he would stand in the Kuomintang presidential primary.[51][52] Han registered for the primary three days after his announcement.[53] On 15 July, he won 2019 Kuomintang presidential primary.[54][55] Han was formally nominated as the Kuomintang presidential candidate on 28 July 2019.[56][57]
2019 Kuomintang Republic of China presidential primary results | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidates | Place | Result | ||
Han Kuo-yu | Nominated | 44.81% | ||
Terry Gou | 2nd | 27.73% | ||
Eric Chu | 3rd | 17.90% | ||
Chou Hsi-wei | 4th | 6.02% | ||
Chang Ya-chung | 5th | 3.54% |
Controversy
- Han allegedly gave NT$ 4 million of TAPMC funds as travel money. [58]
- Han used racist slurs to describe Filipino workers. [59]
Personal life
Han is married to Lee Chia-fen, with whom he raised three children.[2]
References
- ^ "韓國瑜". www.facebook.com.
- ^ a b Chung, Lawrence (25 November 2018). "From rank outsider to mayor of Kaohsiung: meet the man who wooed Taiwan's electorate". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ "他發起「祝韓國瑜生日」 網友引用金句祝福有夠酸!". Liberty Times (in Chinese). 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "一句話祝韓生日…網友吉祥話超級酸!" (in Chinese). Yahoo! News Taiwan/Sanlih E-Television. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Shan, Shelley (21 November 2018). "2018 ELECTIONS: NEWSMAKER: 'Han Wave' secures candidate's future". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Yeh, Joseph (16 June 2019). "R.O.C Military Academy celebrates anniversary with military flybys". Central News Agency. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Chung, Lawrence (19 November 2018). "The fall and rise of Taiwan's Han Kuo-yu: a former Kuomintang outcast turns up the heat on Kaohsiung mayoral election rival Chen Chi-mai". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ Lee, Seok Hwai (18 November 2018). "Battleground Kaohsiung: Han Kuo-yu, KMT's 'very un-KMT' comeback kid". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Brian (28 September 1999). "Legislature will cooperate to pass emergency decree". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "Han Kuo-yu announces bid for KMT chairmanship". Taipei Times. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ Lee, I-chia (30 May 2019). "Ko says Han is not the amateur he claims to be". Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "曾任「中和副市長」 韓國瑜表現老長官大讚" (in Chinese). TVBS. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "KMT's Han Kuo-Yu provoked controversy amid right to protest". China Post. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ Lin, Sean (28 October 2016). "Marketing company upsets Ko". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ Lin, Sean (27 October 2016). "Produce company fails to elect new president". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ Pan, Jason (27 June 2019). "Han redirected TAPMC revenue: report". Taipei Times. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ Lin, Sean (12 January 2017). "Han resigns, fueling rumors of candidacy". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ Yiu, Kai-hsiang; Kao, Evelyn (12 January 2017). "New KMT chairmanship bid announced". Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ a b Hsu, Stacy (22 May 2018). "Kaohsiung chapter director wins KMT mayoral primary". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Stacy (26 November 2018). "Han Kuo-yu key to KMT victory". Taipei Times. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ Chung, Lawrence (26 November 2018). "From rank outsider to mayor of Kaohsiung: meet the man who wooed Taiwan's electorate". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ a b Ko, Yu-hao; Wang, Jung-hsiang (17 November 2018). "ELECTIONS: 'We Care' rally planned in Kaohsiung". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Huang, Kristin (26 November 2018). "At the Taiwan polls, social media-savvy daughter turns her outsider father into KMT's brightest hope". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Elizabeth (25 November 2018). "KMT's Han Kuo-yu wins Kaohsiung mayoral election". Central News Agency. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Stacy; Lin, Sean; Lee, I-chia (25 November 2018). "2018 ELECTIONS: Lai offers to resign as DPP routed". Taipei Times. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "Kaohsiung City Municipal Mayor Election". Central Election Commission. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "ANALYSIS: DPP Eats Election Bitterness as Han Kuo-yu Leads KMT Revival". TheNewsLens. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Chung, Jung-feng; Huang, Frances (26 November 2018). "Mayor-elect invites Hon Hai to invest in Kaohsiung". Central News Agency. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Strong, Matthew (27 November 2018). "Kaohsiung mayor-elect turns down invitation from Foxconn chief to visit China". Taiwan News. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Chung, Lawrence (29 November 2018). "After Taiwan polls, Kaohsiung's new mayor will lead charge on mainland-friendly policy". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ Wang, Jung-hsiang; Lai, Hsiao-tung (17 December 2018). "New Taipei City official to be Han's deputy". Taipei Times. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Stacy (26 December 2018). "Mayors, commissioners sworn in for new terms". Taipei Times. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ^ Wu, Rui-chi; Chen, Chao-fu; Hsu, Elizabeth (24 February 2019). "Kaohsiung mayor departs for visit to Malaysia, Singapore". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b Cheng, Kris (22 March 2019). "Taiwan's Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu meets Hong Kong Chief Exec. and city's top Beijing official". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Chen, Chun-chung; Yu, Kai-hsiang; Wang, Flor (27 March 2019). "Han's visits to Beijing offices 'politically sensitive': MAC". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ Su, Xinqi; Cheung, Toney (22 March 2019). "Pineapples over politics as Taiwanese mayor makes historic Hong Kong visit". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Tam, Tammy (24 March 2019). "What Hong Kong can learn from Han Kuo-yu's openness and flexibility". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Li, Bingcun (25 March 2019). "Mayor from Taiwan lines up business in HK, Macao". China Daily. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ "Kaohsiung mayor meets liaison chief and Chief Executive". Macau News. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ Miao, Zong-han; Yeh, Su-ping; Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Cheung, Stanley; Lin, Ko (23 March 2019). "Tsai, DPP slams Kaohsiung mayor over meeting with China official". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Huang, Kristin (25 March 2019). "Senior Chinese officials give Taiwanese politician Han Kuo-yu the red carpet treatment on 'non-political' tour of mainland". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ Liangyu (27 March 2019). "Xiamen, Kaohsiung sign 30 mln USD fruit, fishery deals". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Chung, Lawrence (8 April 2019). "Taiwanese mayor Han Kuo-yu heads to US as he seeks to boost profile". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Lu, Yi-hsuan (10 April 2019). "Kaohsiung mayor departs for US trip ahead of schedule". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Hsu, Stacy (3 February 2019). "Han mum while calls to run rise". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Strong, Matthew (1 June 2019). "Supporters of KMT mayor of Kaohsiung rally in Taiwan capital". Taiwan News. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Huang, Tzu-ti (11 March 2019). "Kaohsiung Mayor Han is 'not running for president' in 2020". Taiwan News. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Everington, Keoni (23 April 2019). "Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu passes on KMT primary, hints at presidential bid". Taiwan News. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Han Kuo-yu declines to join KMT primary". China Post. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Lin, Sean (1 May 2019). "Han agrees to respect KMT mechanism". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Chung, Lawrence (5 June 2019). "Kaoshiung mayor Han Kuo-yu enters Taiwan's presidential race". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Maxon, Ann (6 June 2019). "Han Kuo-yu agrees to join KMT primary". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Wang, Chun-chi; Yu, Tai-lang; Chung, Jake (9 June 209). "Han officially announces run in KMT primary". Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Yeh, Joseph (15 July 2019). "Han Kuo-yu wins KMT primary for 2020 presidential race (update)". Central News Agency. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- ^ Maxon, Ann (16 July 2019). "Han wins KMT primary". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Lim, Emerson (28 July 2019). "Han Kuo-yu formally nominated as KMT presidential candidate". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
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- ^ https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3732311
- ^ https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3652935
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
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- 1957 births
- Living people
- New Taipei Members of the Legislative Yuan
- Members of the 2nd Legislative Yuan
- Members of the 3rd Legislative Yuan
- Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan
- Kuomintang Members of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan
- National Chengchi University alumni
- Soochow University (Taiwan) alumni
- 20th-century Taiwanese educators
- Heads of schools in Taiwan
- Deputy mayors of places in Taiwan
- Republic of China Military Academy alumni