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He was firstelected to theLegislative Yuan in 1992 and remained in office until 2002, serving for a time asKuomintang (KMT) caucus leader.[17] As a legislator, he became known for his combative personality,[18] most famously assaulting, and landing in hospital in the 1990s, the opposition legislator and future presidentChen Shui-bian in the Legislative Yuan on one occasion.[19] For their support of the construction of theLungmen Nuclear Power Plant, Han,Hung Hsiu-chu,Chan Yu-jen [zh], andLin Chih-chia were targeted with an unsuccessful recall referendum.[20] Subsequently, Han lost reelection to the legislature in 2001.[21] He then served as deputy mayor ofZhonghe under mayorChiu Chui-yi [zh].[22][23]
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 theCouncil of Agriculture. The TAPMC manages the produce demands of thegreater Taipei area.[27][28]
In January 2017, Han resigned from his position as president of TAPMC to enter that year'sKuomintang chairmanship election.[29][30] He finished fourth in a field of six candidates. Following his loss toWu Den-yih, Han served as the Kuomintang's Kaohsiung chapter director.[31]
In May 2018, Han won the Kuomintang'sKaohsiung mayoral primary, defeating rivalChen Yi-min, and was subsequently nominated as the party's mayoral candidate.[31]
During the initial campaign stage, he received almost no support from the party as he was seen as unlikely to win the election due to the traditionally deep-rootedDemocratic Progressive Party presence in Kaohsiung. However, his popularity soared within months during the campaign period,[32][33][34] a phenomenon which has been termed "Hánliú" (韓流). The main focus of his campaign was on the air pollution and economic growth of Kaohsiung.[35][36]
Despite his claims of having minimal support for his Kaohsiung election, accordingly to paperwork filed with theCentral Election Commission, Han received and spent the most compared to the other mayoral races in Taiwan. Campaign contributions totaled NT$129,149,779 (US$4,304,992) and expenses totaled NT$140,873,536 (US$4,695,784). The amounts exceeded the NT$88,841,000 cap placed by election rules.[37]
Han defeatedChen Chi-mai inlocal elections held on 24 November 2018, and became the first mayor of Kaohsiung affiliated with the Kuomintang sinceWu Den-yih left office in 1998.[38] The success of the KMT during the elections has been attributed to Han's popularity.[39]
Vote share by district in the 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral election.
The day after he won the mayoral election, Han invitedFoxconn to invest in Kaohsiung.[40] In addition, he sought fluent English speakers to fill vacancies in his administration pertaining to promotion and public relations.[41] Han expressed support for the1992 consensus and stated that he would form committees dedicated toCross-Strait relations.[42] On 3 December 2018, it was announced that formerTransportation and Communications ministerYeh Kuang-shih would be Han's deputy mayor.Lee Shu-chuan was appointed as a second deputy mayor on 15 December 2018.[43]
Han was inaugurated on 25 December 2018. 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 future generations via bilingual education.[44]
On 24 February 2019, Han began a five-day trip toMalaysia and Singapore to discuss business and tourism opportunities for Kaohsiung, his first official overseas visit as mayor.[45]
Han returned to Kaohsiung and resumed mayoral duties on 13 January 2020.[57] On 17 January 2020, a petition to recall Han cleared the first threshold with 28,560 signatures, exceeding the required 1% of the electorate (22,814 signatures).[58] On 7 April, the city's electoral commission verified that 377,662 of approximately 406,000 signatures collected in the second phase of the recall petition were valid, clearing the threshold of 10% of the electorate, setting the stage for arecall vote in June.[59][60] Though he urged his supporters to boycott the vote, he was recalled with 40% of voters turning out, and 97% voting in favor of the recall.[61][62][63]
Soon after Han took office as mayor, support for Han as a candidate for the2020 Taiwan presidential election began to build.[64][65] Han initially refused calls for him to contest the election,[66] and later stated that he would not participate in the2019 Kuomintang presidential primary.[67][68] A week after that statement, Han said that he would abide by Kuomintang's primary process, opening the door for his potential nomination as a presidential candidate.[69] On 5 June 2019, Han announced that he would stand in the Kuomintang presidential primary.[70][71] Han registered for the primary three days after his announcement.[72] Han scheduled five rallies for the primary, with the last one held on 8 July inHsinchu City.[73] On 15 July, he won the Kuomintang presidential primary[74][75] and was formally nominated as the Kuomintang presidential candidate on 28 July 2019.[76][77]
Han held a presidential election rally on 8 September 2019 at Xingfu Shuiyang Park (Chinese:幸福水漾公園) inSanchong District,New Taipei,[73] with former presidentMa Ying-jeou and KMT chairpersonWu Den-yih in attendance. Han conveyed four main points of his campaign platform, which were to defend theRepublic of China, to loveChinese culture, to uphold freedom and democracy and to never forget the struggling people.[78] He began a three-month leave of absence despite having serving only six months of his term to focus on his presidential campaign, delegating mayoral duties toYeh Kuang-shih from 15 October 2019.[79] Some media outlet dubbed Han the "Taiwanese Trump" for his outspoken attitude and similarconservativepolitical positions to American presidentDonald Trump.[80] On 11 November 2019, Han officially picked formerpremierChang San-cheng as his running mate for the election.[81] The Kuomintang ticket completed registration for the election on 18 November 2019.[82][83] Han and Chang finished second in the presidential election to incumbent presidentTsai Ing-wen and her running mateWilliam Lai.[84][85]
In November 2023, Han was ranked first on the Kuomintang's proportional representation party list for the2024 legislative election.[86] Weeks before taking office in the11th Legislative Yuan, Han declared interest in contesting thespeakership.[87][88] Han won the Yuan President election with 54 votes.[89]
Han is an active participant in philanthropy. After his unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020, Han donated NT$6 million ofcampaign funds to charity organizations, including NT$1 million to his running mate’s foundation.[90] Following his recall as Kaohsiung mayor, he appeared at a meet-and-greet announce his appointment as president of the Dianliang Foundation and to promote his new book, which aims to improve bilingual education in elementary schools and provide support to elderly citizens.[91][92] The foundation was commended by theROC Veteran Affairs Council for its services provided toROCAF veterans.[93][91]
Violent incidents and alleged ties to organized crime
Han committed several violent acts in his tenure as Taipei County councillor and then Legislative Yuan member. On 16 November 1990, during then-Taipei County magistrateYou Ching's presentation, Han threw a thermos at You then ran toward the podium and attempted to choke him.[94] In 1993, Han assaultedDemocratic Progressive Party legislator and future presidentChen Shui-bian, leaving Chen hospitalized for three days. Han later apologized for the violent act.[95]
In 1993, following a shooting at a gang leader’s funeral, Han accompanied a gang member who claimed to turn himself in to a police station. Investigators found that the gang member was taking the blame for someone else andobstructing justice. Han denied he had any culpability in the case.[96]
Days leading up to the 2020 election to recall Han as Kaohsiung mayor,National Police Agency director-general Chen Chia-chin stated that there were rumors that gang members were expected to be at voting stations to intimidate andsuppress voters. The Kaohsiung Police confirmed there was information about the alleged voter suppression. However, Chen, in a separate press conference, noted that the alleged involvement with organized crime was not substantiated by evidence and was a rumor.[97] In response, Han suggested that the National Police Agency form an investigative task force.[98] No evidence suggesting Han's involvement were reported following the recall.[99]
Han is married toLee Chia-fen, with whom he raised three children.[7] In January 2022, Han published a collection of short stories and established the Light Up Foundation, a charity.[100]
^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.Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved17 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.Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved17 June 2019.
Republic of China Army
