Hou Ho-shong (; born 1944) is a Taiwanese engineer and politician.

Career

Hou completed a master's degree in civil engineering at

National Cheng Kung University National Cheng Kung University (NCKU; ) is a public research university located in Tainan, Taiwan. The university is best known for engineering, computer science, medicine, and planning and design. As a top university in Taiwan, NCKU has played ...

and pursued a doctorate in civil and oceanographic engineering at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. His dissertation, ''The Influence of Equivalent Sand Roughness on the Dispersion Coefficient in Laboratory and Natural Watercourses'', was completed in 1976. Hou taught at the National Taiwan College of Marine Science and Technology, as well as

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

in an adjunct capacity. He joined the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

, and worked successively for the

Taiwan Provincial Government The Taiwan Provincial Government was the government that governed Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. Its functions have been transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. History At the ...

, where he was affiliated with the Institute of Harbor and Marine Technology, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, where he became head of the Transportation Engineering Department, and

Kaohsiung City Government The Kaohsiung City Government is the municipal government of Kaohsiung. It was formed after the merger of Kaohsiung County and Kaohsiung City in December 2010. Its chief administrator is the directly elected Mayor of Kaohsiung. History In ...

, serving as deputy mayor under

Frank Hsieh Frank Hsieh Chang-ting (; born May 18, 1946) is a Taiwanese politician and former defense attorney. A cofounder of the Democratic Progressive Party, he has served on the Taipei City Council, the Legislative Yuan, as the mayor of Kaohsiung City ...

. While serving as deputy mayor of Kaohsiung, Hou was an adjunct professor at

National Sun Yat-Sen University National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU; ) is a public research-intensive university renowned as an official think tank scholars' community, located in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. NSYSU is listed as one of six national research universities, ...

. Following Hsieh's reelection as mayor, Hou became a presidential adviser and was replaced as deputy mayor by

Yao Kao-chiao Yao Kao-chiao (; born c. 1940) is a Taiwanese politician and former police officer. Yao was the youngest of five sons, born in the village of Gongyi in Zhunan, Miaoli County. He later moved to Taipei. Yao studied law at what became Central Poli ...

. Hou was named vice minister of economic affairs in August 2005, succeeding

Yiin Chii-ming Yiin Chii-ming (; born 2 June 1952) is Taiwanese politician. He was the Minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) of the Executive Yuan from 2012 to 2013. Education Yiin obtained his bachelor's degree from the Departm ...

. Hou took office the next month. In October 2007, legislator alleged that Hou and

Chen Che-nan Chen Che-nan (; born 30 March 1941) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese retired politician. Chen was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1987 to 1994. Originally affiliated with the Kuomintang, he joined the Democratic Progressive Party in 1993 ...

suggested that work on 29 missile boats worth NT$15 billion for the

Ministry of National Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

be shared between

China Shipbuilding Corporation CSBC Corporation, Taiwan (, literally "Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation") is a company that produces ships for civilian and military use in Taiwan. It is headquartered in Kaohsiung, with shipyards in Kaohsiung and Keelung. It was ...

(CSBC) and

Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company (JSSC) is a Taiwanese shipbuilder based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is the largest private shipbuilder in Taiwan. History Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1973. By 2009 they had built more than 400 ...

, despite the fact that CSBC had won the bid and reached an agreement with the defense ministry on 24 June 2007. In August 2007, the Nantou District Court detained Hou on charges of influence peddling and bribery, suspecting him of involvement in seven flood control-related construction projects. Economic affairs minister

Steve Chen Steve Chen (; born August 25, 1978) is a Taiwanese-American Internet entrepreneur who is one of the co-founders and previous chief technology officer of the video-sharing website YouTube. After having co-founded the company AVOS Systems, Inc. a ...

suspended Hou from his duties on 8 August 2007. On 29 November 2007, Hou was indicted on corruption charges by the Nantou Prosecutors' Office. Hou retired from public service on 22 June 2009, before the

Control Yuan The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Prior to constitutional reforms in the 1990s, the Control Yuan, along with National Assembly (electoral college) and the Legislative ...

voted 10–2 on 30 July 2009 to impeach him. The

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

convicted him of corruption in April 2013. He was released on parole in 2015. Hou returned to teaching, at National Sun Yat-sen University,

Feng Chia University Feng Chia University (FCU; ) is a private research university in Taiwan, located in Taichung. It was named after Chiu Feng-Chia one of the leaders of the military resistance against the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in 1895. Feng Chia Univer ...

National Taitung University The National Taitung University (NTTU; ) is a national university in Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan. History NTTU was originally established in 1948 as Taiwan Provincial Taitung Teachers’ School. In 1969, it was upgraded to Taiwan Prov ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hou, Ho-shong 1944 births Living people Government ministers of Taiwan Taiwanese civil engineers Deputy mayors of Kaohsiung 21st-century Taiwanese politicians Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan University of Florida alumni Taiwanese expatriates in the United States National Cheng Kung University alumni Taiwanese politicians convicted of corruption