Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The row over card covers showing a Japanese porn star has caused a severe dent in Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je’s popularity, according to an opinion poll released Saturday.

After the city-controlled EasyCard Corporation announced last month it would sell two card covers showing Japanese actress Yui Hatono, critics said the choice was inappropriate. As a result, the company sold its cards online in a sale which lasted barely four hours.

The issue flared up again over the past week when the city government admitted that 3,000 cards had been reserved and released a list of city councilors who had ordered copies. In the ensuing row, Kuomintang councilor William Hsu insulted Ko, leading to a new escalation of the issue. Amid the conflict, it was announced that EasyCard Chairman Tai Chi-chuan would step down but hold on to his position as company CEO. He then took immediate unpaid leave.

According to an opinion poll by cable station TVBS issued Saturday, Ko’s approval rating was still standing at 50 percent, but the apparently high figure signified a sharp decline from the 70 percent the outspoken mayor still scored in a similar poll in March.     [FULL  STORY]