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<h3 style="margin-top:0;"><a style="font-weight: 500; font-size: 21px;line-height: 30px; margin-top:25px; margin-bottom: 10px;" href="http://u.osu.edu/mclc/2015/01/09/ko-wen-je-subway-commute/" target="_blank">Ko Wen-je subway commute</a></h3>
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<p>Source: CNN (1/7/15)</p>
<p><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/07/asia/taipei-mayor-ko-wen-je-subway/">Taipei mayor’s subway commute sparks debate in China</a><br />
By Wilfred Chan, CNN</p>
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<div id="attachment_6865" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://u.osu.edu/mclc/files/2015/01/150107150251-ko-wen-je-subway-split-super-169-2hu6t92.png"><img class=" wp-image-6865 " alt="In this viral photo (left) posted to Facebook by Yu Yen Huang, Taipei's new mayor Ko Wen-je is seen standing alone aboard a subway train. "It's definitely unusual for a politician to do like this," Yu told CNN. "Normally they go out with luxury cars, several body guards."" src="http://u.osu.edu/mclc/files/2015/01/150107150251-ko-wen-je-subway-split-super-169-2hu6t92-300x168.png" width="500" height="268" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">In this viral photo (left) posted to Facebook by Yu Yen Huang, Taipei’s new mayor Ko Wen-je is seen standing alone aboard a subway train. “It’s definitely unusual for a politician to do like this,” Yu told CNN. “Normally they go out with luxury cars, several body guards.”</p></div>
<p>(CNN) Barely two weeks into his term, Taipei’s new mayor has sparked debate across Taiwan and China with a simple act: a trip on the subway.</p>
<p>On the evening of January 2, a passenger photographed Mayor Ko Wen-Je traveling on a Taipei’s MRT train at night, standing alone and leaning next to the door.</p>
<p>Once posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FattyMagic/photos/a.609829972372187.1073741828.274540082567846/846936068661575/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, the photo went viral in Taiwan, where it touched a nerve with citizens accustomed to politicians traveling in splendor.</p>
<p>“The mayor is so close to the people,” said one top-rated comment.Another user quipped the mayor commuted with a “BMW” — Bicycle, MRT train, and Walking.</p>
<p>The mayor’s wife confirmed the sighting in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=754388927988840&id=635993403161727" target="_blank">Facebook post</a>, adding that she had been traveling with the mayor, but took a seat while he remained standing.</p>
<p>But some expressed concerns for the mayor’s safety: last year, a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/21/world/asia/taiwan-train-stabbing/">vicious knife attack</a> on Taipei’s subway system left four people dead.</p>
<p>Chinese users react</p>
<p>In China, the photo was <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/tw/2015-01/04/c_127356726.htm" target="_blank">published in state news media</a>, where it quickly spread among Internet users, touching off a debate on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform.</p>
<p>“See this? If Chinese people also had the right to vote, mayors would receive the same treatment, with no privileged car, no crowd following them everywhere, no flashbulbs… nothing.” wrote <a href="http://weibo.com/1667422442/BE0opl6Og?type=comment#_rnd1420607206076" target="_blank">Pu Baoyi</a>, a Chinese political commentator. “Some in China would call this the ‘corrupted way.’”</p>
<p>But some Chinese social media users accused the Taiwanese mayor of insincerity. “This actually isn’t such a mature display of politics,” said <a href="http://weibo.com/1097414213/BE1yKnn8r?type=comment#_rnd1420595840701" target="_blank">another Weibo user</a>. “Politicians’ responsibility lies in implementing policies… not putting on a show.”</p>
<p>Chinese government officials — even those holding lower-level posts — are known for traveling in luxury motorcades with heavy security detail.</p>
<p>In 2011, Chinese media reacted with surprise when the United States’ newly-appointed ambassador to China, Gary Locke, was photographed at an airport Starbucks without any security and <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/08/15/china.ambassador.locke/">carrying his own backpack</a>.</p>
<p>Mayor: I won’t be a ‘celebrity’</p>
<p>For many in Taiwan, Taipei’s new mayor represents an exciting departure from established politics.</p>
<p>A former emergency room doctor and political newcomer with no party affiliation, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/opinion/taiwan-opinion-cole/">Ko defeated Sean Lien</a>, the wealthy son of Taiwan’s former vice president and a member of the establishment Kuomintang political party, which favors closer ties with Beijing.</p>
<p>Ko has vowed to crack down on corruption and increase transparency.</p>
<p>The mayor has asked top officials to begin <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1673598/taipei-mayor-ko-wen-je-tightens-scrutiny-officials-schedules" target="_blank">reporting their attendance</a> at banquets and weddings, and has vowed not to attend social events as the city’s leader.</p>
<p>“A mayor should spend more time on administration, not being a celebrity,” he wrote on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DoctorKoWJ" target="_blank">Facebook</a> account in December.</p>
<p>CNN Beijing intern Sherry Fei Ju contributed to this report.</p>
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by <a href="mailto:denton.2@osu.edu">denton.2@osu.edu</a> on January 9, 2015 </div>
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