TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) stirred controversy after he pledged that he would "conquer the universe," prompting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to ask, "what comic book have you been reading?"
At a roundtable conference on Tuesday (April 30) hosted by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Han said that in regards to his future hopes for Taiwan he plans, "to be rooted in Taiwan, to embrace China, to have an eye on the world, and to conquer the universe."
In response, Ko at a press conference on Wednesday (May 1) asked: "I wonder what comic books he has been reading recently?" After one reporter said "Marvel," Ko could not help but let out a giant belly laugh, reported Liberty Times.
When being questioned about Han's four-point statement hinting that he would run in the 2020 Taiwan presidential race, Ko said that he was "fortunately" not a member of the Democratic Progressive Party or the Kuomintang and that "It's really a mess on both sides of the [imperial] court," according to the report.
Wang Dan (王丹), a former Chinese student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement and democracy activist described Han's words as "cosmic-level BS."
Taiwanese users of the online bulletin board system PTT mocked Han's hyperbolic claims:
"Is this direct selling? The bigger your dreams, the bigger your achievements?"
"Kaohsiung will build a cosmic harbor."
"Whoever gets there first will claim the universe. Run President Han!"
"This school motto has been around for years."
"The most fanatical politician on the face of the Earth."
"He'll wipe out half of Taiwanese."
"Will people die in the 2020 great war?"
"President Han might snap his fingers."
A video made by Taiwanese Facebook user comparing Han to the Marvel Comics fictional villain Thanos has gained 638,000 views and over 9,500 likes since it was uploaded on May 1:
