United Nations Command

United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established under UN authority to support the Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command established by the UN Security Council and the first attempt at collective security under the UN System after the UN Charter was signed. It was the first time that the Security Council authorized the use of force under Chapter VII of the Charter. UN Security Council Resolutions 83 and 84 provided the international legal authority for Member States to use military force to "restore peace on the Korean Peninsula" and designated the United States as the leader of the UN forces, with General Douglas MacArthur appointed Supreme Commander of the UNC. The UNC was established on 7 July 1950 following the UN Security Council's recognition, on 25 June, of North Korean aggression against South Korea. The motion passed because the Soviet Union, a close ally of North Korea and a member of the UN Security Council, was boycotting the UN at the time over its recognition of the Republic of China (Taiwan) rather than the People's Republic of China as 'China'. UN member states were called to provide assistance in repelling the North's invasion, with the UNC providing a cohesive command structure under which the disparate forces would operate. During the course of the Korean War, 22 nations contributed military or medical personnel to UN Command; although the United States led the UNC and provided the bulk of its troops and funding, all participants formally fought under the auspices of the UN, with the operation classified as a "UN-led police action". On 27 July 1953, United Nations Command, the Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteers signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, ending...