United Nations Security Council Resolution 82
UN Korean Peninsula | ||
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Date | June 25, 1950 | |
Meeting no. | 473 | |
Code | S/1501 (Document) | |
Subject | Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea | |
Voting summary |
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Result | Adopted | |
Security Council composition | ||
Permanent members | ||
Non-permanent members | ||
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Part of a series on |
North Korea and the United Nations |
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Resolution 82 was adopted by the
The
The resolution called on the North to immediately halt its invasion and to move its troops back to the 38th parallel. Seen as a diplomatic victory for the United States, the resolution was completely ignored by North Korea, who saw the involvement of the UN as merely a proxy for the Americans. The UN and the US then took further action that would set the stage for a massive international involvement and further escalation of the war, which ultimately saw millions of Koreans killed, China joining the war on the side of the North, and a years-long stalemate, during which the United States Air Force dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs on the peninsula.
Background
Division of Korea
At the end of World War II, the Korean Peninsula, which up to that point had been occupied by the
On 14 November 1947, the General Assembly's Resolution 112 established a temporary commission to monitor free elections in Korea.[6] The UN had intended to reunify Korea under one government,[4] but the UN commission was unable to enter North Korea. After observing elections in South Korea, the General Assembly stated on 12 December 1948 in their Resolution 195, that the nation was to be established under one government as soon as possible, and the US and Soviet occupation forces there were to withdraw.[7]
As the pressure built, the North Korean government became more aggressive, with skirmishes between North and South becoming common. UN military observers were assigned to monitor the situation, ostensibly to prevent it from escalating.[8] General Assembly Resolution 293, passed on 21 October 1949, recognized only the southern government as legal.[6][discuss] North Korea in turn denied the legality of the UN activities in Korea, and said it would drive the UN forces out of the country.[4]
Outbreak of war
I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall Communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores. If the Communists were permitted to force their way into the Republic of Korea without opposition from the free world, no small nation would have the courage to resist threats and aggression by stronger Communist neighbors. If this was allowed to go unchallenged it would mean a Third World War, just as similar incidents had brought on the Second World War. It was clear to me that the foundations and the principles of the United Nations were at stake unless this unprovoked attack on Korea could be stopped.
—Truman, explaining his thoughts on the resolution.[9]
On the night of 25 June 1950, ten divisions of the
News of the invasion quickly spread around the world via ambassadors and correspondents in Korea. Journalists in the United States were reporting on the invasion within five hours of the initial attack, and United States Ambassador to Korea
Lie convened the Security Council for its 473rd meeting at 14:00 June 25 in New York City.
The United States introduced a resolution stating that North Korea's invasion was a breach of peace in violation of
The Soviet UN ambassador was not present at the UNSC meeting due to their ongoing boycott of the UN, which meant that the Soviets were unable to veto the resolution.[18]
The resolution
The Security Council,
Recalling the finding of the General Assembly in its resolution 293 (IV) of 21 October 1949 that the Government of the Republic of Korea is a lawfully established government having effective control and jurisdiction over that Part of Korea where the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea was able to observe and consult and in which the great majority of the people of Korea reside; that this Government is based on elections which were a valid expression of the free will of the electorate of that part of Korea and which were observed by the Temporary Commission, and that this is the only such Government in Korea,
Mindful of the concern expressed by the General Assembly in its resolutions 195 (III) of 12 December 1948 and 293 (IV) of 21 October 1949 about the consequences which might follow unless Member States refrained from acts derogatory to the results sought to be achieved by the United Nations in bringing about the complete independence and unity of Korea; and the concern expressed that the situation described by the United Nations Commission on Korea in its report menaces the safety and well-being of the Republic of Korea and of the people of Korea and might lead to open military conflict there,
Noting with grave concern the armed attack on the Republic of Korea by forces from North Korea,
Determines that this action constitutes a breach of the peace; and
ICalls for the immediate cessation of hostilities;
Calls upon the authorities in North Korea to withdraw forthwith their armed forces to the 38th parallel;
IIRequests the United Nations Commission on Korea:
- (a) To communicate its fully considered recommendations on the situation with the least possible delay;
- (b) To observe the withdrawal of North Korean forces to the 38th parallel;
- (c) To keep the Security Council informed on the execution of this resolution:
IIICalls upon all Member States to render every assistance to the United Nations in the execution of this resolution and. to refrain from giving assistance to the North Korean authorities.
— −text of UN Security Council Resolution 82[1]
The resolution passed with 9 votes for—the United States]], the United Kingdom, the Republic of China, France, Cuba, Ecuador, Norway, Egypt, and India. Aleš Bebler, delegate from Yugoslavia, abstained from voting.[19] Lie was a strong supporter of the resolution, as he saw the conflict as a challenge to the authority of the UN.[20]
Aftermath
The resolution was seen as a political victory for the United States, as it identified North Korea as the aggressor in the conflict.
The US delegation later contacted the Soviet delegation and sent a message requesting that the Kremlin use its influence over North Korea to compel it to comply with the resolution, but the Soviet Union denied the request.[19] With the ineffectiveness of the resolution in de-escalating the conflict, the UNSC convened on June 27 to discuss further actions to take, resulting in UNSC Resolution 83, which recommended military intervention by other UN member nations to restore peace in Korea.[20] Within days, ships and aircraft from several nations, as well as the first major formations of US troops, were moving to South Korea, setting the stage for a full-scale conflict.[21]
In 2010, Colum Lynch wrote a column in
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b Wellens 1990, p. 252
- ^ "United Nations Security Council - Cold War, Peacekeeping, Veto Power | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 2
- ^ a b c d Appleman 1998, p. 5
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 4
- ^ a b c Wellens 1990, p. 251
- ^ Edwards 2010, p. 304
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 6
- ^ a b Millett 2000, p. 245
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 1
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 2
- ^ a b Appleman 1998, p. 35
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 244
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 246
- ^ a b c Appleman 1998, p. 37
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 247
- ^ a b Millett 2000, p. 248
- ISBN 978-0-8021-9499-2.
- ^ a b Millett 2000, p. 249
- ^ a b c Edwards 2010, p. 306
- ^ a b Appleman 1998, p. 38
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 250
- ^ Lynch 2010.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-7818-1019-7
- Appleman, Roy E. (1998), South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War, ISBN 978-0-16-001918-0, archived from the originalon 2014-02-07, retrieved 2011-10-04
- Edwards, John M. (2010), Historical Dictionary of the Korean War, ISBN 978-0-8108-6773-4
- Lynch, Colum (May 21, 2010), The 10 worst U.N. Security Council resolutions ever, Foreign Policy, archived from the original on May 27, 2013, retrieved October 29, 2011
- Millett, Allan R. (2000), The Korean War, Volume 1, ISBN 978-0-8032-7794-6
- Wellens, Karel (1990), Resolutions and statements of the United Nations Security Council (1946–1989), ISBN 978-0-7923-0796-9
External links
- Works related to United Nations Security Council Resolution 82 at Wikisource
- Text of the Resolution at undocs.org