The Kaohsiung mayoral race has taken another turn: KMT candidate Ko Chih-en's car broke down during a disaster inspection tour, forcing her to climb out through a window. Once the footage surfaced, it became a target for her opponents' attacks — a negative development for her campaign.

• Days of torrential rain in southern Taiwan have caused flooding in multiple areas, and Ko Chih-en travelled to the Yuku community in Alian to check on conditions.
• Her car stalled after driving into a flooded stretch of road, leaving her trapped inside. She eventually climbed out through the car window with help from her staff and waded through the water on foot.
• Supporters praised her for going into the disaster area in person, but a larger number of internet users questioned why she pushed through water she knew was there, calling it a staged photo op.
• Tsai Ping-tsung, a candidate for the Kaohsiung City Council, quipped that "yesterday Kuo-yu climbed a tree, today Chih-en climbs out a window," linking the footage to the controversial images of Han Kuo-yu from years past.
• Others countered that this style of disaster inspection actually hampers relief efforts, and left a broken-down car blocking the middle of the road.

Outlook: Both the KMT and the DPP are expected to keep using the footage against each other, and the controversy over disaster response and inspection grandstanding looks set to burn on in the near term.