A look back at Asia in 2017

Three days after taking office, US President Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign promise by withdrawing his country from the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade accord on January 23. The deal had been a cornerstone of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama's Asia-Pacific strategy, which foresaw closer US trade and investment ties with the region.

Shortly after Trump took office, North Korea conducted its first missile test for the year in mid-February. Overall, the North fired over 20 missiles, including three intercontinental ones, and conducted its sixth nuclear test in 2017. A war of words also raged between Trump and Kim, with the US leader at one point threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea.

In February, Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un's half-brother, was killed under mysterious circumstances, when nerve agent VX was wiped on his face. Two women from Indonesia and Vietnam face murder charges for allegedly carrying out the hit. They say they were tricked into believing they were taking part in a prank for reality television. The North Korean leadership is suspected to be behind the murder.

Disgraced former President Park Geun-hye was arrested in February and charged with corruption, extortion and abuse of office. Park, South Korea's first woman president, was impeached by parliament in December 2016 after months of mass protests over accusations of graft and influence-peddling. South Korea's constitutional court upheld the decision in March, removing her from office.

Moon Jae-in succeeded the deposed Park as president of South Korea, winning the elections in May by a large margin. Moon, a former human rights lawyer, takes a conciliatory approach toward North Korea and is in favor of dialogue to resolve the Korean conflict. At the same time, he supports international sanctions against the reclusive regime in Pyongyang.

After a year and a half in captivity in North Korea, Otto Warmbier returned to the US in June. He was in a bad physical condition and died shortly after his return. It is unclear what happened to the US student in North Korea. President Trump accused Pyongyang of torturing him. North Korean authorities had sentenced Warmbier to 15 years of hard labor for attempting to steal a propaganda poster.

On July 13, Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer at the age of 61. A few weeks prior to his death, Liu had been moved from prison to a hospital. Despite Liu's serious ailment, Chinese authorities did not allow him and his wife Liu Xia to travel abroad for treatment. Liu was detained in 2009 for "undermining state power."

Following an attack by Rohingya militants on Myanmar troops at the end of August, the Southeast Asian country's military launched a massive crackdown on the rebels. The subsequent violence triggered an exodus of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. More than 620,000 Rohingyas have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since August.

On September 3, North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date. The North's government claimed it was a hydrogen bomb that could be launched with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US. The international community swiftly condemned the test, with the United Nations imposing more sanctions on the North Korean regime.

China held the Communist Party congress in October, which turned out to be a great show of power by President Xi Jinping. The congress confirmed Xi's place as China's leader for another five years, with the possibility of another term beyond 2022. The year 2017 also saw Xi consolidating his stature as a global leader.

The five-month long war in the southern city of Marawi between "Islamic State"-linked militants and the Philippine army ended in October, with the country's defense minister declaring victory over Islamists. The conflict claimed more than 1,000 lives and displaced around half a million people.