Kuo Jung-tsung (Chinese: 郭榮宗; born 23 August 1954) is a Taiwanese politician.

Kuo Jung-tsung
郭榮宗
Member of the Taoyuan City Council
In office
25 December 2014 – 24 August 2015
Succeeded byWu Tsung-hsien [zh]
ConstituencyDistrict 2 (Guanyin)
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
18 January 2010 – 31 January 2012
Preceded byLiao Cheng-ching [zh]
Succeeded byLiao Cheng-ching
ConstituencyTaoyuan County 2
In office
1 February 2002 – 31 January 2008
Preceded bymulti-member district
Succeeded byLiao Cheng-ching
ConstituencyTaoyuan County
Mayor of Guanyin
In office
1 March 1994 – 31 January 2002
Preceded byLee Wen-kuei
Succeeded byChang Yung-huei
Personal details
Born (1954-08-23) 23 August 1954 (age 70)
Dayuan, Taoyuan County, Taiwan
Political partyDemocratic Progressive Party
SpouseTsai Mei-ying
EducationNational Taiwan Ocean University (BA)

Education and early career

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Kuo graduated from the National Chung-Li Senior High School and National Taiwan Ocean University.[1] He was a lecturer at his alma mater and Kainan University.[2]

Political career

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Prior to winning his first Legislative Yuan term in 2001, Kuo served two terms as mayor of Guanyin, Taoyuan, from 1994 to 2002.[1] He won reelection to the Legislative Yuan in 2004.[2] In November 2003, Kuo Jung-tsung, Kuo Wen-cheng [zh], and Hsieh Ming-yuan fought Chung Shao-ho on the floor of the Legislative Yuan. Chung had pulled down a protest sign held by another Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, who was opposing the scheduling of a defense committee meeting on the same day as a gathering of the general legislature.[3] During his first legislative term, Kuo Jung-tsung also commented on the potential pardoning of expelled DPP members,[4] and the possibility of leaking classified military information in a small-scale exercise observed by president Chen Shui-bian.[5] In his second term, Kuo expressed opposition to the legalization of gambling and to investment in China by the Taiwanese technology industry.[6][7]

Kuo lost reelection in 2008 to Kuomintang legislative candidate Liao Cheng-ching [zh].[8] Kuo ran in the by-election for Taoyuan County's 2nd district scheduled after Liao's conviction on vote-buying charges,[9] and defeated Chen Li-ling [zh].[10][11] Kuo was sworn into office on 18 January 2010, and stepped down at the end of his term on 31 January 2012.[12] During the 2010 New Taipei City mayoral election, a document signed by Kuo and Huang Jen-shu [zh] became a topic of discussion. The document claimed that, Eric Chu, during his tenure as Taoyuan County Magistrate, had ended the county government's subsidies for agriculture and the elderly.[13][14] In August 2010, Kuo opposed the nomination of Su Yeong-chin to the post of vice president of the Judicial Yuan, believing that judicial independence would be reduced, as both Su Yeong-chin and his brother Su Chi were close to Ma Ying-jeou.[15] In March 2011, Kuo and fellow legislator Lo Shu-lei [zh] opined that Chunghwa Telecom did not need to charge fees for long-distance phone service, due to the small geographic size of Taiwan.[16] That same month, Kuo also asked premier Wu Den-yih about his position on nuclear power.[17] An analysis by Citizen’s Congress Watch undertaken after the Eighth Legislative Yuan had ended revealed that Kuo had never spoken in any legislative committee for which he held membership.[18]

In 2013, Kuo supported Annette Lu's call to impeach Ma Ying-jeou.[19] The following year, Kuo visited Su Tseng-chang after Su announced that he would not run for reelection as Democratic Progressive Party chair or as the party's Taoyuan mayoral candidate.[20] In November 2014, Kuo ran in the local elections. He was elected to the Taoyuan City Council alongside his niece and former Legislative Yuan aide, Kuo Li-hua.[21][22] Kuo Jung-tsung resigned the council seat in August 2015, before an appeal to the Taiwan High Court regarding violations of electoral law was heard.[23] The DPP chose to back the candidacy of Kuo's son Kuo Yu-hsin over his wife, Kuo Tsai Mei-ying, a former member of the Taoyuan County Council.[21][23] Kuo Yu-hsin lost the by-election to independent candidate Wu Tsung-hsien [zh].[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kuo Jung-tsung (5)". Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Kuo Jung-chung (6)". Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. ^ Hsu, Brian (7 November 2003). "Fists fly as lawmakers argue over meeting". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  4. ^ Lu, Fiona (12 December 2003). "DPP may pardon former members". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  5. ^ Chuang, Jimmy (30 July 2004). "Chen takes part in submarine exercise". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  6. ^ Lin, Jean (7 November 2005). "Making gambling legal will threaten society: legislator". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ^ Huang, Jewel (29 May 2007). "MAC boss derides KMT proposal". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Legislative elections and referendums" (PDF). Taipei Times. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  9. ^ Hsu, Jenny W. (8 January 2010). "DPP's Hsiao Bi-khim to run in Hualien by-election". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  10. ^ Ko, Shu-ling (31 December 2009). "Prediction market forecasts wins for DPP next month". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  11. ^ Loa, Iok-sin; Hsu, Jenny W.; Mo, Yan-chih (10 January 2010). "DPP wins all three seats in by-elections". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Kuo Jung-chung (7)". Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  13. ^ Chao, Vincent Y. (24 November 2010). "2010 ELECTIONS: Chu, Tsai motorcades nearly meet". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  14. ^ Chao, Vincent Y. (18 November 2010). "2010 ELECTIONS: Eric Chu wins libel suit". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  15. ^ Ko, Shu-ling (25 August 2010). "Ma announces Judicial Yuan nominees". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  16. ^ Shan, Shelley (29 March 2011). "Chunghwa under fire over slow service integration". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  17. ^ Shih, Hsiu-chuan (16 March 2011). "Premier says local plants 'much safer'". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  18. ^ Tseng, Wei-chen (12 February 2012). "Legislature went out with whimper". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  19. ^ Chen, Ching-min; Chung, Jake (17 September 2013). "Lu urges lawmakers to pass motion to impeach Ma". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  20. ^ Wang, Chris (16 April 2014). "Su pledges support to DPP candidates until tenure is over". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  21. ^ a b 林, 子翔; 李, 容萍; 周, 敏鴻; 邱, 奕統; 鄭, 淑婷; 謝, 武雄 (10 November 2014). "家族政治傳承 接棒者力拚勝出". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  22. ^ 李, 容萍 (30 November 2014). "政治家族加持 當選比落選多". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  23. ^ a b c 謝, 武雄 (24 August 2015). "郭榮宗辭桃市議員 斷絕吳宗憲遞補機會". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  24. ^ 林, 駿剛 (15 November 2015). "觀音議員補選 吳宗憲當選". China Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 December 2023.