Soviet boycott of the United Nations

From 13 January 1950 to 1 August 1950, the Soviet Union boycotted the United Nations by having their diplomat, Yakov Malik, not attend any United Nations Security Council meetings. The boycott originated because of a dispute over the representation of China in the United Nations. The Soviet Union demanded that representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC) be seated in the United Nations Security Council despite the United Nations and its allies on the council recognizing representatives of the Kuomintang and the Republic of China. After the Soviet Union lost a motion to seat the PRC in the UN on 13 January 1950, it decided to boycott the organization. This was an attempt to prevent the Security Council from acting until it gave into the Soviet demand, but it backfired on the Soviet Union when the Security Council passed UN Security Council Resolution 82, 83, 84 and 85. These resolutions gave military and civilian support to South Korea during the Korean War. The Soviet Union could not veto these motions due to their boycott, thereby cementing the survival of South Korea as a member of the Western Bloc.