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
South Korea’s presidential office on August 28 rejected Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s nomination of Judge Son Bong-gi to the Supreme Court and requested a new nominee. The Constitution states that Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president upon the chief justice’s recommendation and with National Assembly consent. The presidential office argues that the appointment power includes substantive review and that longstanding prior consultation prevents either side from dominating court appointments. Critics counter that the Constitution gives the chief justice the nomination power and does not require prior consultation or expressly authorise presidential rejection, warning that the move could weaken judicial independence. The office accepted Kim Sung-soo, nominated the same day, saying consultation had been completed. Cho apologised for causing public concern and said he would issue an official statement next week.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
Dialogue and diplomacy must continue to be prioritised in addressing the Cambodia-Thailand border issue to ensure regional peace and stability, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said.
Johari said the border issue was among the matters discussed during his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the Second Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC-2) in Phnom Penh. “Malaysia understands Cambodia’s concerns over the current situation, including its impact on residents in the affected areas. I stressed that dialogue and diplomacy must always be given space in addressing any differences among Asean member states,” he said in a Facebook post on August 28, as quoted by Bernama.
Malaysia would continue to support efforts to bring all parties back to the negotiating table, with priority given to preserving regional peace and stability, Johari said. Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening Malaysia-Cambodia ties, covering parliamentary cooperation, the economy, human capital development and youth empowerment.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Australian Embassy discussed investment opportunities under a new framework for developing Agro-Industrial Parks (AIP) in Cambodia.
The meeting on August 28 focused on accelerating AIP development through a private sector-led approach supported by the Royal Government. The framework aims to attract quality investment, create jobs, increase value-added processing and strengthen export competitiveness.
A 2022 study by the Australian Government, conducted through the Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development Programme, found that establishing a single AIP could contribute up to $5.1 billion to the Cambodian economy over 20 years, create more than 100,000 jobs, with over 56,000 designated for women, and lift over 20,000 people out of poverty annually.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan resumed gold exports in July 2026 after a hiatus, selling approximately $1.3 billion worth of the precious metal. Since the beginning of the year, gold exports have exceeded $2.8 billion. Despite the renewed shipments, gold is playing a significantly smaller role in the country’s overall export structure.
Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover reached $49.5 billion in January–July, up 8.1% year-on-year. Exports declined 3.6% to $19.9 billion, while imports rose 17.8% to $29.6 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of about $9.7 billion.
Non-gold exports demonstrated strong growth, rising 27.7% to $9.8 billion. Textile exports increased 26.6% to $1.9 billion. Gold’s share of total exports fell sharply from 36.7% to 14.1%, while services increased to 36.8%, industrial goods to 14.4%, and finished products to 8.4%.
The figures indicate Uzbekistan is gradually diversifying its export base and reducing reliance on gold, although the growing trade deficit remains a challenge.
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THE AsiaN Korean : 아자뉴스바이트 20260829 – 아시아엔 THE AsiaN
