TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Keelung City mayoral candidate Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) announced his victory in the Nov. 26 local elections, becoming the first out of 21 municipalities to determine a winner for their top post in local government.

Hsieh, representing the Kuomintang (KMT), defeated his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival and legislator, Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應). Tsai conceded the election following Hsieh's announcement.

Hsieh, 47, is an entrepreneur and a former legislator, who represented Keelung City. He got into  entertainment and started a media business after giving up a re-election bid for a seat in the legislature in 2016.

He is the founder of Hualien Media International, an entertainment company. He also previously managed the China Post, an English newspaper, which ceased printing in 2017 and was later sold to another media group.

Hualien Media is known for producing the box office hit "Our Times (我的少女時代)," as well as the popular soap opera "Someday or One Day (想見你)."

Hsieh, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate, comes from a family with strong ties to the banking industry in Keelung.

He returned to politics after being nominated by the KMT to run for the top position of the municipality in 2022. During his campaign, Hsieh vowed to help modernize Keelung by applying his knowledge and experience in business.