Author: Eryk Michael Smith
Eryk Michael Smith
Eryk Michael Smith is a journalist with over a decade of experience working for local and international outlets. He is also the co-host of The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files, and co-founder of Plum Rain Press. The Kaohsiung Times is Smith's latest project, and aims to provide more southern Taiwan-centric news in English.
One of the project’s most talked-about features will be an aquarium and ice rink on upper floors. Those may not open until 2028.
People in the city may have finally gotten used to seeing a tram/train glide through city streets.
The festival will be centered at Love River Bay [愛河灣] and Kaohsiung Port Piers 16 through 18 [高雄港16-18號碼頭]. This year’s theme, “Ultraman Descends on the Harbor City,” coincides with the 60th anniversary of the iconic franchise.
The story of a little-known CIA effort to build a “Third Force” – a democratic alternative to both Mao’s Communists and Chiang’s Nationalists.
Chen edges Lin Chun-hsien by 2.69 points; both outpoll KMT challenger Hsieh Lung-chieh in head-to-head surveys
The Kaohsiung City Government said the Sunshine Island Vibe Fest will return March 6–8, 2026, with activities planned at Central Park and Kaohsiung Main Station, marking the festival’s first dual-venue format.
The operator spent three years drilling to a depth of about 995 meters, where workers struck geothermal water measuring 42 degrees Celsius. Laboratory testing confirmed the source as a bicarbonate spring, commonly known in Taiwan as a “beauty spring” due to its mineral content.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) won a narrow victory on Monday, edging out fellow legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) by just 0.6188 percentage points to become the 2026 DPP nominee, according to party headquarters. Lai will now face Kuomintang nominee Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) in the November 2026 mayoral race, as the DPP seeks to extend its decades-long hold on the southern port city.
Yoon currently faces seven separate criminal cases, including a far more serious insurrection charge. That case carries potential penalties of life imprisonment or even death under South Korean law.
By Wu Hsiang-yuan (吳象元)Editor, The News Lens For more than 70 years, the jeepney (吉普尼) has ruled the streets of the Philippines. Colorful, noisy, and endlessly customized, the iconic vehicles began life as surplus U.S. military jeeps left behind after World War II. Resourceful Filipinos bought and refitted them into passenger vehicles, creating what would become the country’s most popular form of public transport. By the 1950s, jeepneys had evolved into a cultural symbol — carrying workers, students, and families for fares as low as eight pesos. At their peak, around 600,000 jeepneys were registered nationwide. Today, that number has…
