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
The controversy over the film “Assassin(s)” has expanded from political criticism to consumer boycott calls targeting brands advertised by its cast.
Online posts showed users deleting membership accounts with Burger King, which features lead actor Yoo Hae-jin as a model, and marking chicken advertisements featuring co-star Lee Min-ho with boycott slogans. Burger King’s YouTube and Instagram comment sections for Yoo’s advertisements were shut down amid the backlash. The chicken brand said Lee’s advertising contract had ended in August. Burger King described Yoo’s campaign as a limited seasonal promotion. No sales data has been released to show whether the boycott calls had any commercial impact.
A survey by the Reform Institute, the Reform Party’s think tank, conducted on September 29 among 1,017 adults nationwide found that 58.2 percent viewed the film’s depiction as historical distortion, while 27.6 percent considered it creative freedom. The rate was highest among respondents in their thirties at 73.8 percent and second highest among those aged 18 to 29 at 65.7 percent.
Three organizations associated with former President Park Chung-hee and the late first lady Yuk Young-soo have demanded an apology from the filmmakers and a suspension of screenings.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged Gen Z students to develop integrity and a commitment to public service, saying academic qualifications alone did not guarantee good character.
Speaking at the National Student Icon Award 2026 ceremony in Putrajaya on October 1, Anwar cited the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and Tabung Haji scandals as examples. “Most of those involved are not from among the uneducated. Almost all of them are graduates. Some have master’s degrees and PhDs. So education and knowledge alone do not guarantee noble character,” he said, as reported by the New Straits Times.
Anwar said there must be a new spirit among Gen Z — a high level of awareness and a willingness to serve the people and reject wrongdoing. Student leaders should possess not only academic excellence but also determination, fighting spirit and a desire to bring change, he said. “If after three or four years at university there is no awareness to defend the plight of the people, no awareness to correct weaknesses, damage and decay in the system, then the system is not assured,” he added. Anwar said education must also be grounded in faith, morality, character and a strong sense of identity.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodia and Belarus held the fifth meeting of their Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC) on October 1. The session was co-chaired by Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce Secretary of State Tekreth Kamrang and Belarus’s First Deputy Minister of Industry Leonid Ryzhkovsky.
The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in nine sectors, including industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, civil aviation, finance, science, tourism, and business exchanges, and committed to translating the framework into practical outcomes.
Cambodia Chamber of Commerce Vice President Neak Oknha Lim Heng said Cambodia’s vision extended beyond bilateral ties with Belarus to the wider Eurasian market. The Ministry of Commerce views Eurasian economic relations as a high-potential avenue for boosting exports, particularly in agriculture, textiles, and electronics, Lim said.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma held talks with Abdul Haq Hamkar, CEO of Afghanistan’s state power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), on progress in the Afghan section of the CASA-1000 regional electricity transmission project.
CASA-1000 is a $1.2 billion project designed to transmit 1,300 megawatts of surplus summer hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, linking Central and South Asian energy markets. Construction on the Tajik, Kyrgyz and Pakistani sections has been completed. Work on the Afghan section — which passes through seven provinces from Kunduz to Nangarhar — continues, with final commissioning scheduled for spring 2027.
The two officials also discussed preparations for a meeting of the project’s Intergovernmental Council, planned for early October in Kyrgyzstan. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to bringing the project into operation.
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THE AsiaN Korean : 아자뉴스바이트 20261002 – 아시아엔 THE AsiaN
