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With the invasion of South Korea by the communist forces of North Korea in June 1950, the United States sought to gain multilateral support for a military intervention to assist the South Koreans. UN Security Council resolution 84 was subsequently passed on July 7, giving the U.S. the power to establish a military alliance under the banner of the United Nations, in order to fight the communist forces.

The security council approves a UN military force

This vote is particularly notable as it was one of the few times the council managed to pass a resolution authorizing military action during the Cold War. In normal circumstances, the Soviet Union, North Korea's main ally, would have been able to block the resolution by using its veto power. In this case, however the Soviet Union was boycotting the council at the time, due to their opposition to the Republic of China (Taiwan) taking the Chinese seat on the council, which they believed belonged to the communist People's Republic of China. The UN forces, led by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, would enter the war in July 1950. Fighting would continue until July 1953, with at least two million lives lost during the conflict.