DPP lawmaker Cheng Yu-chen (
He reiterated his intent to divorce his wife and admitted fathering an illegitimate daughter with another woman two decades ago.
Cheng's estranged wife, Lu Pei-ying (
PHOTO: CNA
Cheng, whose triangular romance has drawn a lot of media attention, took a deep bow in an apologetic gesture during a news conference in Los Angeles but insisted he would not part with his assistant, Sophie Wang (
"I'm sorry my [romantic] affair has caused such a stir in Taiwan," said Cheng, flanked by Wang and his lawyer, Chiu Chang (邱彰). "I was like a drifter until I met Sophie. I will spend the rest of my life with her and hope the public will understand and wish us the best."
Cheng said he would quit the DPP and even resign as a lawmaker if his party and supporters found his decision unacceptable.
"I'm willing to withdraw from the party's caucus to take responsibility for my extramarital affair," he told reporters. "If this is not enough, I'm willing to quit the party and resign as a legislator."
Several people have reportedly phoned his Taipei office to condemn his "irresponsible" behavior and express sympathy for his wife.
Cheng, 56, said that since he turned 50, he no longer harbors ambitions of any kind. Calling himself crushed and disgraceful, he added he would not return to Taiwan until he obtains a divorce.
"As an old saying goes, a man must mend his household before seeking to serve his country. I don't have the nerve to face my constituents unless I put a end to this mess," the lawmaker said.
He conceded he lied about his marital status when he married Wang on July 2 in Las Vegas and that he would shoulder any legal consequences.
"I uphold the principle of monogamy," Cheng said. "So I plead that Lu will divorce me, as I love Wang and intend to go through any legal procedures to be with her."
His lawyer cited Nevada codes as saying that anyone who resides in the US state for six weeks may seek a divorce in local courts. She argued that Cheng's second marriage, conducted without an open wedding ceremony, would not be recognized in Taiwan and therefore Cheng could not be prosecuted.
Cheng broke into tears when a reporter read a letter from his daughter urging him to come home.
He expressed grave regrets that his other family members had been dragged into the matter but hoped they would be strong and independent.
"Be strong and more useful than your dad and take care of your mom," Cheng said. He and Lu had one son and one daughter during their 30-year marriage.
The lawmaker did not deny that he fathered another daughter out of wedlock more than 20 years ago and that he sought a divorce at that time.
"This time I will not relent, now that I have found my true love," Cheng said.
His emotional revelations drew a tearful reply from his first wife, who read out a letter to Cheng during a news conference in Taipei two hours later.
In the letter Lu said she had not seen her husband for a long time and that she didn't even know how to contact him.
She indirectly charged her husband of being promiscuous, but did not comment on the divorce request except to say she was worried about Cheng being guilty of bigamy.
"I am afraid he has violated marriage codes against bigamy here and in the US," a weeping Lu told reporters.
She pressed Cheng to come home soon, saying she didn't know how to help him otherwise.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS