Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday apologized following media reports of an alleged extramarital affair with a close aide, which could possibly deal a blow to his hopes of running for New Taipei City mayor next year.
Media reports showed photographs and videos of Lo and his office deputy director, Nien Pei-ying (粘珮瑩), allegedly checking into a hotel twice this month.
Lo’s apology came as soon as the stories were released, but he did not confirm or deny going to a hotel with Nien.
“I want to offer my most sincere apology to my family, my supporters and the public for the frustration and confusion caused by my personal affairs,” he said.
“I explained the whole incident to my family last night, and I was given trust and understanding,” he said.
He said his wife, former singer Chen Liang-yin (陳亮吟), remained confident in him and believed that he had not been unfaithful.
Asked if she had forgiven him, Lo said: “There was no so-called forgiveness … [she] simply believes in me.”
“My wife believes that I did not do it,” he added.
Lo said the situation with Nien was a private matter that did not need to be discussed publicly, but a reorganization of office staff was likely.
Reiterating that he needed more time to deal with the fallout, he said he would announce later whether there would be any change to his plans to seek the DPP nomination for New Taipei City mayor.
He ruled out the possibility that the scandal was a “setup” by political rivals to undermine his image and career.
Lo has been seen as a leading contender, along with Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) and former premier Yu Shyi-kun, while DPP legislators Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) and Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) are also potential candidates.
Lo was yesterday scheduled to talk about the mayoral election during a live radio interview, but abruptly canceled his appearance.
Lo is a former academic known for his experience in social movements and media. Although a first-term legislator, he has led other DPP rivals, except for Lai and Yu, in opinion polls.
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