Media tycoon Lin Kun-hai (林崑海), founder of Sanlih Entertainment Television (SET) and an emerging political faction in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), died of head and neck cancer at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital on Monday night. He was 68.
Lin, who “left peacefully and finished the journey of his life,” is survived by his wife, Chang Hsiu (張秀), and his children and grandchildren, the media group said in a statement.
Lin, whose influence has spanned politics, business and media, was widely considered the spiritual leader of Taiwan Forward, also known in the party as the Hai faction.
Photo: CNA
In the past few years, the group has provided a counterbalance to members of the DPP’s former New Tide faction, currently the dominant influence in the party.
Key Taiwan Forward members include DPP legislators Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), Chao Tien-ling (趙天麟), Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Lin Chu-ying (林楚茵), as well as Taipei City Councilor Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) and New Taipei City Councilor Ho Po-wen (何博文).
Group members have in the past few years sought to fill key positions in the party.
Political experts have said that Lin Kun-hai’s passing is expected to shake up the nine-in-one local elections on Nov. 26, as some politicians who aligned themselves with his group might switch their allegiance to other factions within the party.
After its founder’s death, SET News, which has aligned itself with the pan-green camp, might head in another direction, media experts said.
Born in 1954, Lin Kun-hai began his career as a taxi driver and a video rental store owner.
In 1983, Lin Kun-hai, Chang and Chang’s brother, Chang Rong-hua (張榮華), founded a media firm that produced and distributed videos of the comedy shows of Taiwanese entertainer Chu Ko Liang (豬哥亮).
In 1993, Lin Kun-hai established the Sanlih channel to broadcast videos produced by his firm, which was later renamed Sanlih Entertainment Television.
The network currently owns eight television channels, including three variety channels, two news channels, one entertainment channel, one drama channel and one international channel.
The network generated most of its profits from political talk shows and Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese)-language soap operas, both of which enjoyed high ratings.
Close observers of Lin Kun-hai said that his success in media helped solidify his influence in politics and the entertainment business.
Over the years, he accumulated considerable wealth from investing in real estate, with properties in Kaohsiung, Tainan and northern Taiwan.
Lin Kun-hai, real-estate developer Chung Chia-tsun (鍾嘉村) and media tycoon Lien Tai-sheng (練台生) also founded a property management firm in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
In 2001, Lin Kun-hai ran for legislator as an independent candidate in Kaohsiung. Although he lost, he remained active in politics by supporting politicians.
Since 2017, Lin Kun-hai appeared less often in public after he was seen going into a motel with then-Kaohsiung city councilor Yen Hsiao-ching (顏曉菁).
Over the past few years, Lin Kun-hai was battling head and neck cancer. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) visited him when he was undergoing treatment.
Media reports said that he had checked into the hospice ward at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital before the Lunar New Year holiday.
Lin Kun-hai was admired for his legacy in the media business and his support for local politicians, Wang said.
Lin Kun-hai sacrificed numerous opportunities to profit because he steadfastly held to the values of independence and democracy, he said.
“Taiwan Forward is an alliance of politicians with a clear goal and vision, and its members — from the Legislative Yuan to city councils — care about the development of Taiwan as Lin Kun-hai did,” Wang said. “We might have lost an important elder, but the spirit of fighting for Taiwan stays — and we will become stronger and more united.”
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book