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.
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.