The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced six defendants in the Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) sex-VCD case.
According to Judge Hsu Shih-chen's (
Chung-ti Technology was the company that produced and duplicated the VCD for Scoop.
Both Wang and Hu are allowed to pay NT$300 a day for each day of their sentence as an alternative to serving time in jail.
Lin's and Wang's sentences were suspended for a period of three years.
According to a senior judge at the Taipei District Court, Lin's and Wang's sentences will be automatically dropped when the three-year probation period passes if they don't commit any other crime during the period.
"Kuo received the longest jail time because she never regretted what she did, even though she admitted she was the mastermind" behind the case, said Liu Shou-sung (劉壽嵩), spokesman for the Taipei District Court. "In addition, she still refuses to tell us where the master tape is. It's still a mystery."
Liu also said the court believed the magazine was "selling the private lives of others for profit" by giving away the sex-VCD instead of appending the disc as a "news reference."
"Rumors said the magazine bought the master copy of the VCD from Kuo. But we do not have any evidence of that," Liu added. "But the court believed that the magazine was invading Chu's privacy and selling the magazine along with the VCD for profit."
Chu is currently out of the country and did not make any comment. The magazine didn't respond, either. But Kuo said she will definitely appeal.
In the meantime, a civil claim in this case is still pending. In this claim, Chu has asked for NT$20.6 million from Kuo; NT$60 million from the magazine and NT$3 million from Hu.
According to Taipei Chief Prosecutor Lin Jinn-tsun's (林錦村) indictment on Feb. 7, 11 people were listed as defendants in this case. They are Kuo, Kuo's 19-year-old daughter, Kao Chun-chun (高淳淳), the former Hsinchu City mayor Tsai Jen-chien (蔡仁堅), Shen Yeh, Shen Jung, Wei, the magazine's employees and the VCD producer, Hu.
Kuo was recommended for a four-year sentence; Tsai was recommended for one year; Shen Yeh was recommended for two years and two months; Shen Jung was recommended for one year and four months and Wei was recommended for one year and 10 months.
Initially, Chu also filed an invasion of privacy charge against Tsai, Kuo and Kao. But she decided to drop the charge against Tsai on June 26. According to the Article 239 of the Criminal Code (
In the meantime, Kuo remains as a defendant for offenses against public morals and forging documents.
Invasion of privacy is a criminal charge but can be dropped at the request of the plaintiff, as the offense includes both private prosecution and public prosecution.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in