Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday apologized for saying that small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) should be built in Kaohsiung.
Gou is vying for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) nomination for next year’s presidential election.
Asked about his views on green power during a speech on Monday, Gou said establishing SMRs near Banpingshan (半屏山) in Kaohsiung would be “the right move” and is guaranteed to make money, adding that the government should take the lead in making the investment.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The remarks caused a stir, with Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan saying that research into SMR technology worldwide is incomplete, adding that even if Taiwan wished to develop such technology, there is no mature predecessor for reference.
“We hope that Mr Gou will spend more time finalizing his energy policy platforms before commenting, or he might risk propagating untrue information,” the group said.
Later on Monday evening, Gou said on Facebook that he meant to highlight that Taiwan’s power provision capabilities were unstable and often fell short of actual usage.
He added that this would, inevitably, impact industry as it transitions toward a more sustainable model of production.
Gou said he was perhaps too brash in his haste to highlight the issue, but he also believes that at this juncture, nuclear power is among the options that need to be taken into account when considering the nation’s energy policy.
He said his team would present a transparent energy policy, adding that he understands that the decision for any public policy must consider multiple facets.
Gou also apologized for saying that he hopes to run the government like a corporation.
“We will not need the legislature to provide oversight; we will do it ourselves,” he said earlier.
Legislative oversight is an immutable part of the democratic process and should not be challenged or destroyed, Gou said on Monday, calling on people to understand what he meant instead of just listening to his words.
Gou also said he would use robots to defend Taiwan from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and hopes to begin the production of the robots within three years.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) yesterday called Gou a “failed presidential candidate.”
“That was basically an attempt by Gou to cover up his ridiculous remarks by brushing them off as a gaffe,” Su said.
Additional reporting by Wang Jung-hsiang
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
CPBL players, cheerleaders and officials pose at a news conference in Taipei yesterday announcing the upcoming All-Star Game. This year’s CPBL All-Star Weekend is to be held at the Taipei Dome on July 19 and 20.
The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld a lower court’s decision that ruled in favor of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) regarding the legitimacy of her doctoral degree. The issue surrounding Tsai’s academic credentials was raised by former political talk show host Dennis Peng (彭文正) in a Facebook post in June 2019, when Tsai was seeking re-election. Peng has repeatedly accused Tsai of never completing her doctoral dissertation to get a doctoral degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1984. He subsequently filed a declaratory action charging that
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
RSS