Han Kuo-yu was born in Taiwan in 1957. He received a master’s degree in East Asian Studies from National Chengchi University. Han was elected lawmaker in 1993 for three consecutive terms that lasted nearly a decade. In November, 2018, Han returned to politics surprising even his own party by winning the mayorship of Kaohsiung, a DPP stronghold. His charismatic style helped him become the first KMT politician to hold the office in 20 years.
In March, 2019, Han led a delegation to Hong Kong, Macau and China to promote agricultural exchanges. While in Hong Kong, he became the first Taiwanese politician to visit the Chinese liaison office in the city. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called Han’s meetings with Chinese officials “extremely inappropriate” and introduced rules to regulate trips to Hong Kong and Macau by mayors, county chiefs and political appointees.
Although Han did not officially join the KMT presidential primary, he won by a big margin in a series of opinion polls in July, which the party used to select its candidate. At a KMT party congress in New Taipei City, Han said the presidential race was crucial to the survival of the Republic of China, which is the official name of Taiwan’s government. If elected, Han has promised to build a country that is safe and rich.
Han chose former Premier Simon Chang as his running mate. At a press conference, Han said Chang’s extensive experience in government, industry and academia made him the perfect choice.
In late December, one day after Han marked his first year in office, a civic group filed a petition with the Central Election Commission to have him recalled as mayor. The group accused Han of relying on China-friendly media to boost his popularity. They also criticized him for taking a 3-month leave of office to run for president, less than a year into his term as mayor.
Hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets of Kaohsiung on December 21 in two separate rallies showing opposition AND support for Han.