Taiwanese actor and pop idol Kai Ko (柯震東) has apologized to fans for “setting a bad example” following his arrest in Beijing for using marijuana.
State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday aired video footage of Ko tearing up in front of a camera in a detention center in which he said he was “very regretful, very sorry to all the people who support, like and know me.”
“Sorry I’ve let them down and been a bad influence. I’ve created a mistaken perception for young people and I really hope to tell them that this is the wrong behavior, and I’m very sad,” said Ko, whose face was pixelated in the video.
Photos: Reuters
The 23-year-old, who became a sensation in 2011 after his role in the Taiwanese blockbuster You Are the Apple of My Eye (那些年，我們一起追的女孩) and won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Actor that year for the role, said he has learned his lesson and will “try to make myself a better person.”
CCTV reported that Beijing police arrested Ko on Thursday last week at the residence of actor Jaycee Chan (房祖名), son of Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan (成龍), and seized more than 100g of marijuana.
Jaycee Chan, 31, has also been detained since Thursday, Beijing police said late on Monday.
CCTV also aired police video footage of the raid, in which Jaycee Chan confirmed the substance seized was marijuana and that he had had it for “a couple of years.”
There was also footage of a police officer showing Ko the positive results of a urine test and asking him if he had any questions. Ko answered: “No.”
Jaycee Chan’s management, M’Stones International, issued an apology on its Web site to the public on behalf of its client for the “social impact” his arrest has caused. It said it would “supervise his rehabilitation and help him return to the right path.”
China named Jackie Chan as an anti-drugs ambassador in 2009, while Ko starred in an Taiwanese anti-drugs video in 2011 at the invitation of the Ministry of Justice.
Chinese lawyer Wang Shikun (王世昆) said drug users can be detained for 10 to 15 days, and those who are addicted would be subject to rehabilitation. Those who accommodate drug users face a maximum sentence of three years in prison, Wang said.
Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office spokesman Huang Mou-hsin (黃謀信) said marijuana is considered a second-class narcotic in Taiwan and that Ko would have to undergo compulsory rehabilitation once he returns.
Ko’s parents and elder brother visited him yesterday at the detention center in Beijing.
Ko’s father, Ko Yao-tsung (柯耀宗), apologized for “failing to properly educate” his son, according to microblogging site sina.com.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese lawyer Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) yesterday questioned the actions of Beijing police in light of the fact that Kai Ko had been unreachable from Thursday, when he was arrested, until Monday, when family and friends learned of his whereabouts.
The Mainland Affairs Council said the Ministry of Justice has contacted the Chinese authorities about Ko’s situation. The Straits Exchange Foundation said it is trying to gather more information.
Additional reporting by Tsou Nien-tsu, Peng Hsien-chun and The Associated Press
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS