Ko Chien-ming Says Ann Kao Lost Her Degree, Campaign Team Says U.S. Doctorate Was Never Revoked

A dispute over Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao’s academic credentials has opened another front in the election campaign.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Ko Chien-ming made the claim while accompanying party Hsinchu mayoral candidate Chuang Ching-cheng to register. He said Kao’s degree had been canceled because her dissertation involved plagiarism.

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Ko Chien-ming should not use incorrect information to confuse the public, and he must not replace discussion of municipal affairs with political rhetoric.

Kao’s campaign headquarters rejected the statement as factually wrong. It said her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati had never been revoked and urged Ko not to replace discussion of municipal policy with political attacks or misleading information.

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Ann Kao’s U.S. doctoral degree has never been revoked.

The campaign said voters should assess candidates on their education, experience, character, ability and governing record, but argued that any comparison must rely on accurate information. It accused Ko of making an unverified public claim to create political conflict and said it had collected evidence for lawyers to review possible legal action.

The campaign also warned that election-related speech has limits and that politicians should accept legal and political responsibility for their public statements.

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Election speech is not without limits, and political figures should bear legal and political responsibility for their public statements.