Seoul: The international order is experiencing a profound transformation. Since the launch of the Trump 2.0 administration, escalating trade wars, intensifying U.S.–China rivalry, the protracted Russia–Ukraine conflict, and widening Middle East crises have hastened the turn toward multipolarity. Within this evolving landscape, China, Russia, and North Korea have consolidated ties, signaled most visibly at the September 2025 Tianjin Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and the Victory Day Parade in Beijing.

For South Korea under President Lee Jae-myung (LJM), who has expressed a desire to advance reconciliation with Pyongyang, this trilateral convergence poses new strategic challenges. By broadening Pyongyang’s external patronage from Beijing alone to a joint bloc-based diplomacy

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