June 25, 1950.
The United Nations’ Decision

  The news of the attack first arrived in Washington at 8:00 PM, June 24th ( 9:00 AM, June 25th in Korean Time), and the official telegram of the news by the U.S. Embassy followed one hour later with more details. It reported that the North Korean attack was an all-out invasion over the whole front line along the 38th parallel.

The next day, June 25th, despite it being Sunday, the UN Security Council was called by the urgent request of the United States and agreed to ask the North Koreans to stop their military actions and withdraw to the north of the 38th parallel line immediately.  The Council also adopted the decision that all the member countries of the United Nations should support the U.N.’s activities and should not help North Korea in any means.

  Nine out of 11 countries supported these decisions, save for Yugoslavia, who abstained, and the Soviet Union, who did not attend the conference.  At that time, the Soviet Union was opposed to the United States’ position in every matter, so people had assumed the Soviet to attend and throw an “against” vote.  But strangely enough, the Soviet representative did not attend.  

In spite of the decision of U.N., North Korean troops continued their march to the South and reached the outskirts of Seoul. The South Korean government asked U.N. for a stronger action, and the U.N. Security Council adopted a new decision that U.N. will provide South Korea with all necessary aid including military actions against the North Koreans who ignored the previous decisions.

The United States decided to dispatch their military forces to the Korean Peninsula, and President Truman ordered General Douglas MacArthur, the Chief Commander of the Far East U.S. Armed Forces to mobilize their sea and air forces to help the South Koreans.