AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
A police cover-up investigation in the Gwangju high school murder case has sparked renewed scrutiny of long-standing local ties within Korea’s police force. The National Office of Investigation has booked the chief and the head of investigations at Gwangsan Police Station on abuse-of-authority charges while examining whether they ordered the destruction of evidence.
A detective already under arrest is accused of concealing key evidence, despite previously receiving an award for protecting crime victims. Investigators also suspect that confidential information was shared with the suspect’s father — himself a police officer — allowing critical evidence to be destroyed.
The case has highlighted concerns over “hyangchal,” an informal network based on regional, school, and workplace connections. Calls are growing for broader nationwide rotation of police personnel to reduce conflicts of interest and strengthen public trust in criminal investigations.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said a total of 3,511 medical officers left the public sector between 2023 and 2025 — 1,283 in 2023, 1,153 in 2024, and 1,075 in 2025. During the same period, 1,257 medical and dental specialists also left, comprising 359 in 2023, 420 in 2024, and 478 in 2025.
Dzulkefly made the disclosure in a written parliamentary reply uploaded on July 14, responding to a question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN–Merbok) on the contractual medical officer system, the number of doctors and specialists leaving the public sector, and measures to retain talent.
He said the Health Ministry currently has no legal provisions to restrict medical officers from seeking employment in the private sector or prevent recruitment by private entities and registered foreign talent agencies.
On retention measures, Dzulkefly said medical officers receive a competitive starting salary of RM5,380 (about 1.99 million won) for Grade UD9 — the highest among civil service schemes — with an annual increment of RM225 (about 83,250 won). A locum allowance of RM80 (about 29,600 won) per hour is also provided for after-hours duties at health clinics and hospital emergency departments, while the on-call allowance will increase by 40% from October 1, 2025, alongside an elective surgery allowance of RM80 per hour.
For specialists, Dzulkefly said the ministry offers sponsorship slots under the Federal Training Award for sub-speciality training, and has improved pathways to specialisation through master’s programmes and parallel pathways via amendments to the Medical Act 1971.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodia’s civil aviation sector recorded a mixed performance in the first half of 2026, with air cargo surging while passenger numbers declined.
According to Sin Chansereyvutha, Secretary of State and Spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Cambodia, total air cargo volume reached 47,627 tonnes in the first six months of 2026, up 29% compared to the same period in 2025. The stable total number of flights indicates that Cambodia is attracting more dedicated freighters or utilising belly-hold capacity more efficiently, reflecting stronger supply chains and growth in the country’s e-commerce sector.
In contrast, total passenger traffic fell 7% to 3,269,297. Sin attributed the decline to the regional tourism low season, noting that despite the drop in passengers, total departures and arrivals remained relatively stable at 32,306, suggesting airlines are maintaining the same number of flights to protect their slots while load factors have decreased.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov reported on inflows to Kazakhstan’s National Fund at a government meeting on July 14, 2026.
Suleimenov said the fund’s assets grew by 2% to $65.1 billion, with total inflows of $4.1 billion. Transfers from the National Fund to the republican budget also amounted to $4.1 billion. Investment income for the first six months stood at 2.9%, or $1.9 billion, while foreign currency sales from the fund on the stock market in the first half of the year totalled $2.2 billion. Suleimenov had previously reported an acceleration in Kazakhstan’s non-food inflation rates.
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THE AsiaN Korean : 아자뉴스바이트 20260715 – 아시아엔 THE AsiaN
