Shen Po-yang disputes The Atlantic report on military service

Shen Po-yang, a member of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee and potential Taipei mayoral candidate, has disputed a report by The Atlantic that suggested he viewed military service as a waste of time. Shen claims the international media outlet took his comments out of context, arguing he was specifically discussing old military training cultures prior to defense reforms rather than current service.

Kuomintang legislator Hsü Chiao-hsin criticized Shen's response, accusing him of failing to take responsibility for his own words. She argued that The Atlantic is a reputable international publication and questioned why Shen would claim malicious intent from a senior journalist. Hsü further alleged that Shen has a pattern of making provocative statements—such as regarding child abuse or cross-strait exchanges—only to later claim his meaning was misunderstood when facing public backlash.