Taipei Mayor Gaffes Again: Rape is Cheaper than Seduction

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) apologized today after making controversial comments at a closed-door meeting with Democratic Progressive Party representatives yesterday. During a discussion of the city’s urban renewal program, Ko made an analogy comparing forced land acquisition for a set price per ping as being like rape, while offering market rates to land owners was a form of seduction. After making the analogy, he said “rape is cheaper than seduction.” The mayor’s comments were lambasted in the press, and