266. Editorial Note
On October 25, the United Nations General Assembly in plenary session adopted a resolution sponsored by 13 nations, including the United States, calling for the admission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations by a vote of 51 to 9 with 21 abstentions. A similar resolution on Vietnam was adopted by a vote of 49 to 9 with 23 abstentions.
However, neither country was admitted to membership because of repeated vetoes of membership resolutions in the Security Council by the Soviet Union whose representatives argued that the Mongolian People’s Republic and the Democratic Republic of North Korea also were deserving of immediate membership as they fulfilled all of the qualifications set forth in Article 4 of the United Nations Charter. The Soviet Representative refused to accept the argument that the General Assembly had recognized the Government of the Republic of Korea as the only lawful government in Korea.
Thus, as a result of the Soviet vetoes in the Security Council, neither the Republic of Korea nor Vietnam were admitted to United Nations membership.