South Korea's will seek to defend her overall title in Seoul ©Getty Images

South Korea’s Minjeong Choi will seek to defend her overall title at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in front of a home crowd in Seoul.

The 17-year-old was the dominant force at the Championships last year, securing titles in the women’s 1,000 metres, 3,000m and 3,000m relay events in Moscow.

Choi's form has continued throughout the 2015-2016 season, earning her World Cup titles in the 1,000m and 1,500m distances after a series of impressive displays.

She could face significant competition from her team-mate Suk-Hee Shim, the bronze medallist in the overall classification last year, having been the word champion in 2014.

Three single distance titles will be up for grabs over 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, with skaters’ performances contributing to the overall classification.

The top eight will then advance to compete in the 3,000m super final, which will see the crowning of the all-round champion after their points tallies are calculated.

Canada’s Marianne St-Gelais is another skater tipped to impress having won the 500m World Cup title and Britain’s Elise Christie will be looking to add to the European crowns she won at Sochi in January.

The South Korean team will also be determined to repeat their success in the 3,000m relay from 2015, when they held off the challenge of China and Italy to earn the title.

Se Yeong Park will be one of the hosts medal hopes in the men's competitions
Se Yeong Park will be one of the hosts medal hopes in the men's competitions ©Getty Images

Another home favourite, Se Yeong Park, will begin as one of the favourites to claim the men’s title, having finished as the runner-up last year.

The Netherlands’ Sjinkie Knegt, who beat Park to the gold medal in Moscow, has opted not to defend his title.

Park’s team-mate Yoon-Gy Kwak, Canada’s Charles Hamelin and China’s Dajing Wu, the bronze medallist in 2015, have also been tipped as potential contenders at the Championships.

Russia’s Semion Elistratov will not be able to defend his men’s 1,500m title after the 25-year-old having reportedly tested positive for the heart attack drug meldonium.

Racing is due to begin tomorrow with the qualifying rounds of the 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m events, with the finals of the 500m and 1,500m scheduled to take place on Saturday (March 12).

The remaining finals are then due to be held the following day, where the overall champions will be crowd.

A total of 129 skaters from 35 countries have been entered to compete at the Championships.