Shtykov was sympathetic to Kim's proposal and helped him persuade a reluctant Stalin to accept Kim's cause. Kim and Shtykov assured Stalin that the war would be a short victorious blitzkrieg "at almost no cost", and Shtykov predicted that it would not provoke American involvement. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded the South. Seoul fell rapidly, and by late July the DPRK controlled all of Korea save Busan and the surrounding area. But after American intervention at the Battle of Inchon, the military situation reversed. North Korea was only saved by Chinese intervention, but this was not enough to save Shtykov's diplomatic career.