Asia Today Year-ender: Park Geun-hye and South Korea 2017

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‍As 2017 comes to an end, CGTN's Asia Today presents a seven-day special program called “Asian Faces of 2017."

From December 24-30, we will review the seven most influential figures in Asia and examine how their highs and lows, their hits and misses, impacted their country, the region and the world.

Face of the Year: Park Geun-hye

2017 has been a turbulent year for Asia's fourth largest economy, South Korea.

At the forefront is former president, Park Geun-hye, who was forced from office over an extensive corruption scandal, which many called “more dramatic than a soap opera.”

The scandal shattered her dream of fulfilling her presidential responsibility and prompted millions of South Koreans to take to the streets, in what was called a “Candlelight Revolution”, and demand her resignation. Waiting for Park are 18 charges and many dark days behind bars.

South Korea's eventful 2017

The year began with social turmoil. Every weekend, mass candlelit demonstrations took place, with the crowd demanding Park’s removal.

Since March, several people have been implicated, investigated and jailed. These include Park Geun-hye, Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil, and Samsung's de facto head, Lee Jae-yong.

The same month, the Sewol Ferry, on which 304 people died, was successfully lifted after nearly three years on the seabed.

On May 9, South Koreans went to the polls in a snap presidential election. The next day, former human rights lawyer, Moon Jae-in, became South Korea’s 19th president.

In September, Moon ordered the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system, saying the move helped pressure the DPRK back to the negotiating table, but then reversed that decision in October in order to better ties with China, who worries that the THAAD system may be used against it.

Expert: Moon Jae-in trying best to make balance in foreign policy

"Moon Jae-in is trying his best to find a right solution to the DPRK nuclear issue. However, what the right solution is may be uncertain for him", said Professor Xiong Lili, head of the Department of International Politics at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics.

Xiong noted that the key point is to change the DPRK’s intentions on this issue, and the deployment of THAAD would do nothing to help Pyongyang give up its nuclear intentions.

The upcoming new year is set to pose difficult challenges for South Korea’s new leadership at home and abroad.

Xiong said export is the most important part of South Korea’s economic growth. “South Korea should have a good relationship with its major trading partners, especially with China,” added Xiong.

"Meanwhile, the South Korea-US alliance will still be the corner stone of South Korea's security policy," said Xiong, “however, Mr. Moon Jae-in will take a more balanced foreign diplomacy, especially with China and the US.

Xiong said, Moon would like to improve simultaneously relations with US and China, and that would be the best choice for him.