Kuo Jung-tsung explained

Kuo Jung-tsung
Native Name Lang:zh-tw
Office1:Member of the Taoyuan City Council
Term Start1:25 December 2014
Term End1:24 August 2015
Constituency1:District 2 (Guanyin)
Office2:Member of the Legislative Yuan
Term Start2:18 January 2010
Term End2:31 January 2012
Constituency2:Taoyuan County 2
Successor2:Liao Cheng-ching
Term Start3:1 February 2002
Term End3:31 January 2008
Constituency3:Taoyuan County
Predecessor3:multi-member district
Successor3:Liao Cheng-ching
Office4:Mayor of Guanyin
Term Start4:1 March 1994
Term End4:31 January 2002
Predecessor4:Lee Wen-kuei
Successor4:Chang Yung-huei
Birth Date:23 August 1954
Birth Place:Dayuan, Taoyuan County, Taiwan
Nationality:Taiwanese
Party:Democratic Progressive Party
Spouse:Tsai Mei-ying
Alma Mater:National Taiwan Ocean University

Kuo Jung-tsung (; born 23 August 1954) is a Taiwanese politician.

Education and early career

Kuo graduated from the National Chung-Li Senior High School and National Taiwan Ocean University. He was a lecturer at his alma mater and Kainan University.

Political career

Prior to winning his first Legislative Yuan term in 2001, Kuo served two terms as mayor of Guanyin, Taoyuan, from 1994 to 2002.[1] He won reelection to the Legislative Yuan in 2004.[2] In November 2003, Kuo Jung-tsung,, and Hsieh Ming-yuan fought Chung Shao-ho on the floor of the Legislative Yuan. Chung had pulled down a protest sign held by another Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, who was opposing the scheduling of a defense committee meeting on the same day as a gathering of the general legislature.[3] During his first legislative term, Kuo Jung-tsung also commented on the potential pardoning of expelled DPP members,[4] and the possibility of leaking classified military information in a small-scale exercise observed by president Chen Shui-bian.[5] In his second term, Kuo expressed opposition to the legalization of gambling and to investment in China by the Taiwanese technology industry.[6] [7]

Kuo lost reelection in 2008 to Kuomintang legislative candidate .[8] Kuo ran in the by-election for Taoyuan County's 2nd district scheduled after Liao's conviction on vote-buying charges,[9] and defeated .[10] [11] Kuo was sworn into office on 18 January 2010, and stepped down at the end of his term on 31 January 2012.[12] During the 2010 New Taipei City mayoral election, a document signed by Kuo and became a topic of discussion. The document claimed that, Eric Chu, during his tenure as Taoyuan County Magistrate, had ended the county government's subsidies for agriculture and the elderly.[13] [14] In August 2010, Kuo opposed the nomination of Su Yeong-chin to the post of vice president of the Judicial Yuan, believing that judicial independence would be reduced, as both Su Yeong-chin and his brother Su Chi were close to Ma Ying-jeou.[15] In March 2011, Kuo and fellow legislator opined that Chunghwa Telecom did not need to charge fees for long-distance phone service, due to the small geographic size of Taiwan.[16] That same month, Kuo also asked premier Wu Den-yih about his position on nuclear power.[17] An analysis by Citizen’s Congress Watch undertaken after the Eighth Legislative Yuan had ended revealed that Kuo had never spoken in any legislative committee for which he held membership.[18]

In 2013, Kuo supported Annette Lu's call to impeach Ma Ying-jeou.[19] The following year, Kuo visited Su Tseng-chang after Su announced that he would not run for reelection as Democratic Progressive Party chair or as the party's Taoyuan mayoral candidate.[20] In November 2014, Kuo ran in the local elections. He was elected to the Taoyuan City Council alongside his niece and former Legislative Yuan aide, Kuo Li-hua.[21] [22] Kuo Jung-tsung resigned the council seat in August 2015, before an appeal to the Taiwan High Court regarding violations of electoral law was heard. The DPP chose to back the candidacy of Kuo's son Kuo Yu-hsin over his wife, Kuo Tsai Mei-ying, a former member of the Taoyuan County Council.[21] Kuo Yu-hsin lost the by-election to independent candidate .[23] [24]

Notes and References

  1. News: Kuo Jung-tsung (5) . 9 December 2023 . Legislative Yuan.
  2. News: Kuo Jung-chung (6) . 9 December 2023 . Legislative Yuan.
  3. News: Hsu . Brian . Fists fly as lawmakers argue over meeting . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 7 November 2003.
  4. News: Lu . Fiona . DPP may pardon former members . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 12 December 2003.
  5. News: Chuang . Jimmy . Chen takes part in submarine exercise . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 30 July 2004.
  6. News: Lin . Jean . Making gambling legal will threaten society: legislator . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 7 November 2005.
  7. News: Huang . Jewel . MAC boss derides KMT proposal . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 29 May 2007.
  8. News: Legislative elections and referendums . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 13 January 2008.
  9. News: Hsu . Jenny W. . DPP’s Hsiao Bi-khim to run in Hualien by-election . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 8 January 2010.
  10. News: Ko . Shu-ling . Prediction market forecasts wins for DPP next month . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 31 December 2009.
  11. News: Loa . Iok-sin . Hsu . Jenny W. . Mo . Yan-chih . DPP wins all three seats in by-elections . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 10 January 2010.
  12. News: Kuo Jung-chung (7) . 9 December 2023 . Legislative Yuan.
  13. News: Chao . Vincent Y. . 2010 ELECTIONS: Chu, Tsai motorcades nearly meet . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 24 November 2010.
  14. News: Chao . Vincent Y. . 2010 ELECTIONS: Eric Chu wins libel suit . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 18 November 2010.
  15. News: Ko . Shu-ling . Ma announces Judicial Yuan nominees . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 25 August 2010.
  16. News: Shan . Shelley . Chunghwa under fire over slow service integration . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 29 March 2011.
  17. News: Shih . Hsiu-chuan . Premier says local plants 'much safer' . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 16 March 2011.
  18. News: Tseng . Wei-chen . Legislature went out with whimper . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 12 February 2012.
  19. News: Chen . Ching-min . Chung . Jake . Lu urges lawmakers to pass motion to impeach Ma . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 17 September 2013.
  20. News: Wang . Chris . Su pledges support to DPP candidates until tenure is over . 9 December 2023 . Taipei Times . 16 April 2014.
  21. News: 林 . 子翔 . 李 . 容萍 . 周 . 敏鴻 . 邱 . 奕統 . 鄭 . 淑婷 . 謝 . 武雄 . 家族政治傳承 接棒者力拚勝出 . 9 December 2023 . Liberty Times . 10 November 2014 . zh.
  22. News: 李 . 容萍 . 政治家族加持 當選比落選多 . 9 December 2023 . Liberty Times . 30 November 2014 . zh.
  23. News: 謝 . 武雄 . 郭榮宗辭桃市議員 斷絕吳宗憲遞補機會 . 9 December 2023 . Liberty Times . 24 August 2015 . zh.
  24. News: 林 . 駿剛 . 觀音議員補選 吳宗憲當選 . 9 December 2023 . China Times . 15 November 2015 . zh.