The decoration was the first international award ever created by the United Nations and recognized the multi-national defense forces which participated in the Korean War.

[1] International Red Cross personnel engaged for service during the war with any United Nations relief team in Korea were not eligible for the medal.

[1] Most countries consider the United Nations Service Medal an automatic decoration, if some other Korean service award was bestowed, and generally award the medal without requesting permission through United Nations channels.

This was as a prelude to the creation of many subsequent United Nations medals which are awarded for various operations around the world.

[6] The medal's ribbon made up of 17[2] equal stripes of United Nations blue (Bluebird 67117) and white, 9 blue and 8 white, each 5⁄64 inch (2.0 mm) wide,[7] with the exception of the Turkish medals that were usually worn with a dark red, single colour ribbon, as the standard pale blue and white were too similar to the Flag of Greece, considered as a rival country.