# Lin Chih-chien

Lin Chih-chien (Chinese: 林智堅; pinyin: Lín Zhìjiān; Wade–Giles: Lin$^2$ Chih$^4$-chien$^1$; born 27 May 1975) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the mayor of Hsinchu City from 25 December 2014 to 8 July 2022.

## Early life and education

Lin earned his bachelor's degree in business administration followed by a master's degree in technology management from Chung Hua University's College of Management in 2008. In 2017, he obtained a second master's degree from National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development, where his thesis discussed the 2014 Hsinchu mayoral elections. Both master's degrees were rescinded by the respective institutions after investigations confirmed that Lin had plagiarized his theses for the two degrees.

## Mayor of Hsinchu City
### 2014 Hsinchu City mayoralty election

Lin was elected as the Mayor of Hsinchu City after narrowly winning the 2014 Hsinchu City mayoralty election held on 29 November 2014.
2014 Hsinchu City Mayoralty Election Result :
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
| 1 | Liu Cheng-hsing (劉正幸) | Independent | 1,914 | 0.96% |
| 2 | Hsu Ming-tsai | KMT | 75,564 | 37.85% |
| 3 | James Tsai | Independent | 40,480 | 20.28% |
| 4 | Lin Chih-chien | DPP | 76,578 | 38.36% |
| 5 | Wu Shu-min (吳淑敏) | Independent | 5101 | 2.56% |

### 2018 Hsinchu City mayoralty election

Lin won reelection in 2018.
2018 Democratic Progressive Party Hsinchu City mayoral primary results :
| Candidates | Place | Result |
| Lin Chih-chien | Nominated | Walkover |
2018 Hsinchu City mayoral results :
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | |
| 1 | Hsieh Wen-chin (謝文進) | Independent | 44,101 | 20.31% | |
| 2 | Li Chi-qun (李驥羣) | Independent | 705 | 0.32% | |
| 3 | Huang Yuan-fu (黃源甫) | Independent | 3,603 | 1.66% | |
| 4 | Hsu Ming-tsai | Kuomintang | 60,508 | 27.87% | |
| 5 | Kuo Jung-jui (郭榮睿) | Independent | 574 | 0.26% | |
| 6 | Lin Chih-chien | Democratic Progressive Party | 107,612 | 49.57% | |
| Total voters | Total voters | Total voters | 338,323 | 338,323 | 338,323 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 217,103 | 217,103 | 217,103 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | | | |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | 64.17% | 64.17% | 64.17% |

## Later political career

Being term limited for the Hsinchu City mayoralty, Lin proposed consolidating Hsinchu City and County to form a special municipality, though he stated in December 2021 that he would not contest the mayoralty for this proposed entity during the 2022 local elections. In June 2022, he accepted the Democratic Progressive Party nomination for the Taoyuan mayoralty. The following month, Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei claimed that Lin had plagiarized a research paper cowritten by Lee Yu-cheng and Wang Ming-lang while completing his master's degree at Chung Hua University's College of Management. Lin's adviser Ho Li-hsing and researcher Wang Ming-lang both signed written statements that asserted Lin had been on Wang Ming-lang's research team. Lin's second master's degree, obtained at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development, was called into question by political commentator Huang Yang-ming. Huang suggested that Lin had plagiarized from Yu Cheng-huang, while Lin and Chen Ming-tong, Lin's adviser at NTU, stated that Yu had utilized research material collected by Lin. National Taiwan University began an investigation [zh] into the allegations. The committee found that Lin plagiarized from Yu, and advised that Lin's master's degree be revoked National Taiwan University duly revoked his master's degree on 9 August 2022. Lin withdrew his nomination for the Taoyuan mayoralty on 12 August 2022. After the conclusion of investigations, Chung Hua University also revoked his master's degree on 24 August 2022.

## Lin Chin-chien's paper plagiarism case

Lin Chih-chien's paper plagiarism case is an academic dishonesty incident in Taiwan's history. In July 2022, Lin Zhijian, a recent Department of Science graduate and Technology Management of Chung Hua University and the National Development Institute of National Taiwan University with two master's degrees and who announced participation in the mayoral election of Taoyuan City was accused by Wang Hongwei and others of copying two thesis. Zhonghua University and Taiwan University, respectively, both concluded that Lin Zhijian's thesis involved plagiarism and violated academic integrity, and their master's degree was revoked. Lin Zhijian was involved in copyright issues for plagiarism, which were also filed in civil infringement and criminal proceedings.
Lin Zhijian, who once served as a member of the Hsinchu City Council and the mayor of Hsinchu City is regarded as the future star of the youth of the Democratic Progressive Party. The controversy, which violates academic ethics, hurts Lin's Democratic Progressive Party in the 2022 Taiwanese local elections.

### Put forward a report

During Lin Zhijian's participation in the results of the 2018 Taiwanese magistrate, some netizens discussed his master's degree from Zhonghua University, but it did not arouse many echoes. During the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election, Hsu Yung-ming, the Legislative Yuan of the New Power Party, once accused Lin Zhijian of plagiarism for his master's thesis at China University. However, Lin Zhijian and his guidance professor, He Lixing, had already clarified and denied it. However, the power of The Times refuted Lin Zhijian's statement, indicating that the press conference in July 2020 accused the legislator Cheng Chen-chien of copying his thesis and did not mention Lin Zhijian.
On July 5, 2022, Taipei City Councilor Wang Hongwei, a member of the Kuomintang, held a press conference to accuse Lin Zhijian of plagiarism in his master's thesis at Chung Hua University She accused Lin Zhijian of copying the 2007 Hsinchu Science Park commissioned Chung Hua University to handle the research bidding case "evaluating the public satisfaction of Hsinchu Science Park in TCSI mode" final report "evaluating the surrounding resident satisfaction of Hsinchu Science Industrial Park in TCSI mode" (signed by Li Youzheng and Wang Minglang). Wang Hongwei hoped that Chung Hua University would properly investigate and suggested that Lin Zhijian volunteer to "return" his degree. On July 6, Wang Hongwei and Taoyuan City Council candidate Ling Tao jointly held a press conference to announce that Lin Zhijian's paper from Zhonghua University was suspected of copying the text of Quality Monthly in December 2005, and the text similarity reached 94.1%.
Wang Hongwei publicly announced it again on July 28. She received a whistle-blower complaint showing that at an international symposium held in Beijing in October 2008, Wang Minglang and two other graduate students, surnamed Wang and surnamed Zhong, published an English paper titled "Applying the TCSI model to evaluate the stakeholder's satisfaction nearby Hsinchu Science Industrial Park (Chinese Translation: Using the TCSI model to evaluate the satisfaction of interested people near Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park)." Lin Zhijian and his thesis guidance professor, He Lixing, were not named in it. After comparison, the paper published in Beijing is the same as that published by Lin Zhijian, Wang Minglang, and He Lixing in the China University seminar, but the paper is "English," the chart content of the paper is the same in the same order, and all the conclusions and figures are entirely the same.

### Lin Zhijian's response

Lin Zhijian responded that he participated in the bamboo science-commissioned research and also published a seminar paper with the same name as He Lixing and Wang Minglang. [17] He thinks his behavior is not plagiarism, and He Lixing and Wang Minglang also issued a written statement to endorse him, Wang Hongwei in the Chung Hua university to bamboo administration plan application; according to the plan application, architecture planning is responsible by Wang Mingming, investigation and analysis is by Wang Mingming and He Lixing is responsible for the report by Wang Mingming and Li Youzhi is responsible for writing, Lin Zhijian is an unpaid research assistant and is responsible for "assist in the investigation," so Wang Hongwei says that Lin Zhijian "just help send questionnaire" rather than the original, and points out that the bamboo final report cover host is "Dr. Li Youzhi, Dr. Wang Minglang," no Lin Zhijian.
On July 24, Lin Zhijian and lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng held a press conference, expressing in chronological order that his copyright ownership of the master's degree at the Discipline Management Institute of China is also his research process.
In addition, On July 6, Lin Zhijian appointed a lawyer to the Hsinchu District Prosecutor's Office to accuse the prosecutor Wang Hongwei of criminal law. After he was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office, the North Prosecutor punished him. Wang Hongwei is fighting against Lin Zhijian, who was falsely accused; the north inspection is still under investigation.

### Academic review and results

In the examination and approval process, Lin Zhijian once attended an explanation.
On August 24, Chung Hua University announced the results of the review, confirming that Lin Zhijian's plagiarism was a serious violation of academic ethics, revoked Lin Zhijian's master's degree, and also sent a letter to the National Library to remove Lin Zhijian's paper from the shelves. According to the statement, He Lixing, the guiding professor of Lin Zhijian's thesis, and Li Youzhi, the member of the oral examination, are the co-host and the host of the plan, respectively, but do not investigate the final report of his master's thesis and the plan, which is obviously negligent, and will be sent to the teaching evaluation committee for review.
In early October, Lin filed a lawsuit with the Ministry of Education over the administrative action of Chung Hua University to revoke his degree. After the trial of the lawsuit review committee, the Ministry of Education rejected the lawsuit filed by Lin Zhijian with the decision on January 19, 2023, of Taiwan Education Law (3) No. 1110094222, believing that Chung Hua University was punished in accordance with the regulations and the cancellation of Lin Zhijian's master's degree was not wrong. Lin Zhijian also apologized on his personal Facebook fan page on February 14, 2023, for revoking the punishment of Zhonghua University, respecting the resolution of the Litigation Review Committee of the Ministry of Education, and not filing an administrative lawsuit.

### Copyright problem

Ling Tao and Yang Zhi-dou, a KMT Taipei city councilor candidate, went to the Taipei District People's Office on July 6 to accuse Lin Zhijian of violating the Copyright Law. Wang also accused the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office of Lin, his professors, and others of violating the copyright law.
According to the contract between the Hsinchu Science Park Administration and Chung Hua University, the property rights of the works in the closing report belong to the Bamboo Science Administration. In a statement, the bureau, on the evening of July 6, asked Chung Hua University to make an explanation. The administration has also publicly stated that no one has applied for authorization to use the closing report. Bamboo Science Administration Bureau and Zhonghua University have exchanged many official letters and discussions. On December 30, 2022, the bureau filed a civil lawsuit against Lin Zhijian for violation of the Copyright Law and filed a criminal complaint to the Hsinchu Local Procuratorate in Taiwan on January 3, 2023.

### Academic ethics norms have been tightened

National Taiwan University announced on July 6, 2022, that from that day, all master and doctoral students must use the original comparison of text similarity before leaving the.

### Impact of the election situation

In mid-2022, Lin Zhijian announced that he would represent the Democratic Progressive Party in the Taoyuan mayoral election. His paper was publicly accused of plagiarism by many people, and the first whistleblower, Wang Hongwei, from the KMT, became a hot topic in the election campaign after Lin Zhijian announced his candidacy.。For example, the KMT suggested that Chen Ming-tong, president of GuoGuoan and party chairman, apologize for criticizing Lin for violating academic ethics and losing personal integrity
In the Democratic Progressive Party, Gao Jiayu, a member of the party, said that the dispute between Lin Zhijian's paper and the Hsinchu Stadium would have a negative impact on the northern candidates in the 2022 Taiwanese local elections, so some people suggested replacing Lin Zhijian. Zheng Yunpeng, a party official elected by Lin Zhijian in Taoyuan and another member of parliament, opposed Gao's views and accused her of "apparently not reading the complete information and not understanding her party members."
On August 10, the next day after the cancellation of his degree by Taiwan University, Tsai Ing-wen, chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party, said at a party meeting that "we are willing to believe that Zhijian did not copy" and instructed party members to believe Lin Zhijian. "We will shout to everyone that Lin Zhijian did not copy." However, on August 12, after the DPP held a temporary election response meeting, Lin Zhijian said in a press conference that he would voluntarily withdraw from the election, with his assistant cadre Zheng Yunpeng taking over to participate in the Taoyuan mayoral election
In the 2022 Taiwanese local elections, the Democratic Progressive Party was greatly defeated. The post-election official review report submitted by the DPP pointed out that after the outbreak of Lin Zhijian's paper plagiarism incident, the failure to timely and properly handle it caused public dissatisfaction. The hasty withdrawal from the election affected the trust of young people, and the whole incident had a negative impact on the election situation.