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Minister owns up to affair

Besides problems with the high speed rail and the renamed Taiwan Post Co, Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Duei (蔡堆) now has another matter to worry about: his marital status.

Tsai confirmed yesterday that he has been seeing Koo Pei-jen (顧佩珍), who was reported to have been his lover for more than a decade.

"Whatever the media reported is true," said Vice Minister Ho Nuan-hsuen (何煖軒), who was authorized by Tsai to speak on his behalf.

"The minister and his first wife have been separated for 15 years, and he did not meet Miss Koo until after they had separated," Ho said. "The minister's entire family has tacitly acknowledged this relationship [between Tsai and Koo], but his first wife has been reluctant to grant him a divorce."

Ho said that Koo had accompanied Tsai at several public occasions where other ministry officials were also present, adding that they have all addressed her as "Ms Tsai."

When asked why Tsai's wife refused to end the marriage, Ho said he was not in a position to answer the question.

Tsai sent a mobile phone text message to the press later in the afternoon apologizing for the fuss the relationship has caused.

"Today [yesterday] has been a long day for me. Not only did I have to deal with questions from reporters, I also had to accompany legislators on a field trip to the south," Tsai said. "Please forgive me for all the inconvenience and troubles, and I will be forever grateful."

Tsai admitted to the affair after the Chinese-language Next Magazine published a story yesterday exposing his relationship with Koo.
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