UNCOK observers with ROK troops on a hill on the 38th Parallel near Kaesong, June 1950
The United Nations Commission on Korea (UNCOK; Korean: 유엔 한국 위원회) was established on 12 December 1948 by the United Nations (UN) to deal with various issues relating to the trusteeship of Korea. It was eventually dissolved on 7 October 1950.[1]
On 14 November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution that created the UN Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK). This was intended to oversee elections throughout the peninsula, but it was unacknowledged in the North and only partially successful.[1]
Description
The commission was established on 12 December 1948 as a result of UN General Assembly Resolution 195 (III). The goal of UNCOK was to arrange for a withdrawal of foreign troops and a peaceful reunification of peninsula.[1]
On 21 October 1949, the General Assembly passed Resolution 293 (IV), which changed the UNCOK's mandate. It added a requirement to observe and report changes that "might lead to or otherwise involve military conflict in Korea". According to a report from the Canadian Government, this eventually became UNCOK's primary role. Two Australian observers were the first to report North Korea invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950 at the beginning of the Korean War.[1]
