Taipei: Lin Chia-cheng, who served as Taiwan's examination minister between 2004 and 2008, has died aged 73, Soochow University's Department of Sociology said in a statement announcing its former professor's passing.

According to Focus Taiwan, no cause of death or the specific date of his passing was released by the department. The statement issued on Monday highlighted Lin's career as a professor in the department for two decades from 1981 to 2004, even as he served in government during the last seven years of that period, before transitioning to the role of examination minister during the second term of former President Chen Shui-bian.

During his tenure as examination minister, Lin implemented several reforms, including publishing a white paper on examination guidelines for underprivileged and underrepresented groups such as the LGBTQ community, Taiwan's Indigenous population, and people with disabilities. He also initiated the publication of Taiwan's National Elite magazine and was a pioneer in promoting online registration for national exams, encouraging academic discussions on the examination system.

Lin's contributions established him as a key member of Chen's administration and earned him respect from local politicians, including former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-che. Ko recruited Lin to lead his consulting team during the 2014 mayoral campaign. Lin had previously served Taipei city as head of Taipei's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission and as deputy mayor between 1997 and 1998.

After Chen's presidential election in 2000, Lin was appointed to lead the Cabinet-level Development and Evaluation Commission, a role he held before his appointment as examination minister. Lin's last involvement in politics was in 2019 when he was approached by Ko to assist with a potential presidential bid.