Korean War: UN Security Council resolution on the North Korean invasion 1950

The United Nations Security Council resolution 82 was passed in response to North Korea's invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950. The invasion by the communist North was the opening act of the Korean War, which would escalate into one of the key conflicts of the Cold War. A UN military force would later be approved to be sent to Korea to fight on behalf of the South. This is unusual in the history of the UN Security Council, as votes on high-level issues such as war require unanimity from the member countries. In most cases, this meant that votes on controversial conflicts were not passed due to the veto power of every country. However, in this case, the Soviet Union boycotted the vote as the Chinese seat on the council was given to the Republic of China (based in Taiwan, and supported by the U.S.) rather than the People's Republic of China (based on the mainland).