Deepening Russia-North Korea ties test US-South Korea deterrence strategy 

FILE - South Korean lawmaker Na Kyung Won, pictured at a climate summit in Egypt in 2022, said recently that the deterrence provided by the South Korea-U.S. alliance "does not guarantee the capacity to respond to the future changes in the security environment.”

The United States’ commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea is being put to the test, with some South Korean politicians publicly questioning the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear umbrella after Russia and North Korea reached a new defense pact.