Director Ko I-chen Pays Over 110k NTD for Smashing Car; Mediation Reached, Owner Withdraws Suit
Director Ko I-chen faced trial for damaging a car blocking his garage. After court mediation, he pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the full 115,498 NTD repair fee demanded by the owner, settling the case.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 17:38
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 18:02 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 15:25 (21h 23m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei, 22nd) The Taipei District Court held a hearing today regarding the case of director Ko I-chen, who was accused of damaging the sheet metal of another person's car. The car owner, surnamed Chiang, insisted on a repair fee of 115,498 NTD. Ko I-chen argued that depreciation should be considered. After a prolonged stalemate, Ko finally pleaded guilty and agreed to compensate, leading to a successful mediation.
According to police investigations, at around 9 PM on November 6 last year, Ko I-chen found a strange vehicle blocking the path in front of his home garage. In anger, he used a sign to hit the left door of the car. The car owner reported the incident to the police at around 8 AM the next morning. Police reviewed surveillance footage and notified Ko to come in for questioning. Ko admitted to being the person in the video, and the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him for property damage.
The Taipei District Court opened the session today. Prior to the hearing, mediation between Ko I-chen and the car owner surnamed Chiang failed, leading them to face off in court. Ko's lawyer stated that Chiang claimed it was a 3-year-old car but did not bring the vehicle registration. For the repair fee of 115,498 NTD, Ko initially offered to pay 70,000 NTD, which was later raised to 90,000 NTD. However, Chiang insisted on the full repair cost.
During the hearing, the public prosecutor took turns urging both parties to settle. The prosecutor asked Chiang if she would accept a 100,000 NTD settlement, later raising it to 110,000 NTD. However, Chiang stated she was only claiming the exact repair costs, excluding her own transportation fees such as taxi rides, and firmly demanded 115,498 NTD, saying, "It's not about rounding up or down."
Ko I-chen emphasized that he only caused a dent in the car's sheet metal, and other scratches were old damages. The public prosecutor also advised him to plead guilty and settle, not only to avoid a criminal record but also to spare himself the trouble of criminal and civil litigation and high lawyer fees. After thinking for a moment, Ko pleaded guilty in court and agreed to pay the full repair fee, resulting in a settlement.
After the hearing, Ko I-chen said in an interview that he would have admitted it from the start, knowing his actions were wrong. However, the cause was that the other party frequently parked there; once, the car was parked right at his front door for three days, preventing him from getting out. "I felt she was extremely disrespectful, disrespecting people's walking space and rights. I had to step on a motorcycle pedal just to squeeze out, which made me angry."
Ko expressed that he considered himself a very elegant person, never expecting to do something uncontrollable out of anger. This incident made him reflect on what other methods he could have used. "The other party wouldn't yield a single cent, so we gave in and compensated her, but my anger still hasn't subsided. I want to ask all Taiwanese people: would you be willing to let someone park at your pedestrian entrance for days, making it impossible for you to walk out? I think this is extremely unfair."
(Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150422
(CNA Reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei, 22nd) The Taipei District Court held a hearing today regarding the case of director Ko I-chen, who was accused of damaging the sheet metal of another person's car. The car owner, surnamed Chiang, insisted on a repair fee of 115,498 NTD. Ko I-chen argued that depreciation should be considered. After a prolonged stalemate, Ko finally pleaded guilty and agreed to compensate, leading to a successful mediation.
According to police investigations, at around 9 PM on November 6 last year, Ko I-chen found a strange vehicle blocking the path in front of his home garage. In anger, he used a sign to hit the left door of the car. The car owner reported the incident to the police at around 8 AM the next morning. Police reviewed surveillance footage and notified Ko to come in for questioning. Ko admitted to being the person in the video, and the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him for property damage.
The Taipei District Court opened the session today. Prior to the hearing, mediation between Ko I-chen and the car owner surnamed Chiang failed, leading them to face off in court. Ko's lawyer stated that Chiang claimed it was a 3-year-old car but did not bring the vehicle registration. For the repair fee of 115,498 NTD, Ko initially offered to pay 70,000 NTD, which was later raised to 90,000 NTD. However, Chiang insisted on the full repair cost.
During the hearing, the public prosecutor took turns urging both parties to settle. The prosecutor asked Chiang if she would accept a 100,000 NTD settlement, later raising it to 110,000 NTD. However, Chiang stated she was only claiming the exact repair costs, excluding her own transportation fees such as taxi rides, and firmly demanded 115,498 NTD, saying, "It's not about rounding up or down."
Ko I-chen emphasized that he only caused a dent in the car's sheet metal, and other scratches were old damages. The public prosecutor also advised him to plead guilty and settle, not only to avoid a criminal record but also to spare himself the trouble of criminal and civil litigation and high lawyer fees. After thinking for a moment, Ko pleaded guilty in court and agreed to pay the full repair fee, resulting in a settlement.
After the hearing, Ko I-chen said in an interview that he would have admitted it from the start, knowing his actions were wrong. However, the cause was that the other party frequently parked there; once, the car was parked right at his front door for three days, preventing him from getting out. "I felt she was extremely disrespectful, disrespecting people's walking space and rights. I had to step on a motorcycle pedal just to squeeze out, which made me angry."
Ko expressed that he considered himself a very elegant person, never expecting to do something uncontrollable out of anger. This incident made him reflect on what other methods he could have used. "The other party wouldn't yield a single cent, so we gave in and compensated her, but my anger still hasn't subsided. I want to ask all Taiwanese people: would you be willing to let someone park at your pedestrian entrance for days, making it impossible for you to walk out? I think this is extremely unfair."
(Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150422