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
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