NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a twist of politics and social media spectacle, a campaign billboard for the Kuomintang's (KMT) New Taipei legislative candidate Ye Yuan-zhi has unintentionally become a landmark on Google Maps, drawing hordes of visitors.
The billboard gained unexpected attention after the breakdown of a collaboration between the KMT and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), turning what was meant to be a temporary election sign into a peculiar point of interest.
A day after TPP's Ko Wen-je and KMT's Hou Yu-ih registered their respective runs for the presidency last Friday, Ye live-streamed a video showing workers altering the billboard by painting over Ko's face, and replacing it with that of Hou's running mate, Jaw Shaw-Kong, as part of his quick fix to the political wrangle.
The caption of the video stated, "Many supporters were angry and asked me to deal with the billboard immediately. I am handling it this way first," prompting a message from Jaw himself, assuring that a new photo would be provided soon.
The adjustment quickly caught the attention of the digital community, with commentary flooding in.
Users on Google Maps left reviews under the billboard's location, describing it as "historic evidence of a breakup drama" and noting that this "historic landmark" is to be seen "one less day" as it may not remain much longer.