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
“I’ll crawl. Take the battalion commander first.” A South Korean noncommissioned officer reportedly said this after suffering a serious heel injury in mine explosions in the Paju DMZ on September 21.
According to lawmakers who viewed evacuation footage, an NCO from the Army’s 25th Division was injured in the first blast while clearing a path in the DMZ south of the Military Demarcation Line. The battalion commander, a lieutenant colonel, rushed to help but was caught in a second explosion that severed his left ankle. In all, three soldiers were seriously wounded and 15 others were sent to hospital.
Soldiers at the scene fashioned a stretcher from wood and uniforms and checked for additional mines while evacuating their wounded comrades. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on September 28 that the explosions were very likely caused by North Korean mines — the first such incident in the DMZ since 2015, when two soldiers lost their legs to North Korean wooden-box mines.
Their actions recall Major Kang Jae-gu, who died on October 4, 1965, in Hongcheon after throwing himself onto a grenade that had slipped from a trainee’s hand, saving the lives of his soldiers. He was posthumously promoted from captain to major. This year marks the 61st anniversary of his death.
October 1 is South Korea’s Armed Forces Day.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its forecast for Cambodia’s economic growth in 2026 to 3%, citing rising fuel prices, declining tourism and remittances, slower garment exports, and border tensions. Inflation is projected to reach 5.6% this year, following 5.3% growth in 2025.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has also revised its 2026 growth forecast downward, to 3.9%, citing sluggish tourism and agricultural activity. While both institutions noted resilience in manufacturing and investment, they warned of vulnerabilities in the recovery and recommended structural reforms to attract foreign investment, strengthen supply-chain linkages, and improve workforce skills.
In response, Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance launched a $1.22 billion stimulus package in September to support vulnerable households, provide fuel-tax subsidies for tuk-tuk drivers, and fund infrastructure projects expected to create more than 220,000 jobs.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid an official visit to Germany from September 28 to 30 at the invitation of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, holding talks in Berlin and Munich.
Tokayev met Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on September 29. The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation in industry, critical minerals, technology and transport. More than 30 commercial agreements worth about $2 billion were signed during the Kazakhstan-Germany Business Forum in Berlin, covering sectors from raw materials and logistics to industrial production. Tokayev also invited Chancellor Merz to visit Kazakhstan on a state visit next year, as the two countries prepare to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
On September 30, Tokayev travelled to Munich for the opening of the Kazakhstan-Bavaria Technology Forum and met with Bavarian government officials, state parliament leaders and business representatives. Bavaria leads Germany’s 16 federal states in trade with Kazakhstan, reaching 3.4 billion euros in 2025.
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THE AsiaN Korean : 아자뉴스바이트 20261001 – 아시아엔 THE AsiaN
