WASHINGTON — From trade to security and geopolitics, the South Korea-U.S. alliance has undergone a year of uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House, but hard-fought bilateral deals in those areas have put it on a more stable footing. Trump kicked off his second, nonconsecutive term on Jan. 20 at a time of growing questions over the future course of the alliance as he moved to put his America First policy into high gear while Seoul was struggling with the aftermath of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. His aggressive tariff policy and calls for allies to bolster their defense spending and "burden-sharing" heralded profound shifts in America's alliances and partnerships, leaving Seoul scrambling to figure out ways to navigate those changes in the absence of a fully elected leader following Yoon's impeachment in December 2024 and his ouster in April. New South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was elected in June on a promise to put the alliance with the United States at the center of his administration's foreign policy under his "pragm