王康旼出生日治時期的台中州彰化鹿港,他繼承了父親王永宗的多重認同,七歲後,長期定居海外,他的認同相較同時代的台灣人呈現更複雜的面向。思想左傾的王康旼在1947年回到台灣。1950年,中華民國政府大力掃盪共產黨,他被冠上參加叛亂組織的罪名,判刑十五年。出獄後,王康旼對自己思想左傾直言不諱,也和左統難友走的比較近。白色恐怖時期政治受難者,如林書揚等,終身是共產統一派;有的如涂南山、陳英泰及王康旼等人,放棄社會主義,逐漸產生本土意識,成了台灣民主派。由此可知,政治受難者的國族認同是可能出現轉折。此外,王康旼認同轉折,留給台灣人最重要的啟示,是以人對土地、文化及歷史的情感為基礎的國族認同,才是發自內心的情感聯繫。
Wang, Kang-min was born in Lukang, Changhua, during the Japanese colonial period. He inherited multiple identities from his father, Wang, Yung-tzung. After the age of 7, he settled overseas for a long time, and his identity presented a more complex aspect compared to his contemporaries in Taiwan. The left-leaning Wang, Kang-min returned to Taiwan in 1947. In 1950, the government of the Republic of China vigorously suppressed the Communist Party. He was accused of participating in a rebellious organization and sentenced to 15 years in prison. After his release, Wang Kang-min openly admitted to being left-leaning and became closer with leftist friends. During the White Terror period, political victims such as Lin Shu-yang remained loyal to communism throughout their lives; others like Tun, Nan-shan, Chen, Ying-tai, and Wang, Kang-min gradually developed a sense of local consciousness and became part of Taiwan's democratic faction after abandoning socialism. From this it can be seen that there can be a turning point in national identity for political victims. Furthermore, Wang Kang-min's transformation provides Taiwanese people with an important revelation: national identity based on emotions towards land, culture, and history is the true heartfelt connection.