志願遣俘原則的議定，源自於1951年6月戰俘營中發生反共、親共戰俘的激烈鬥爭。隨後美國陸軍心戰處長麥克盧爾提出准許前國民政府的中國戰俘前往臺灣的建議，引發華盛頓高層反覆的討論。1952年2月底，在美國總統杜魯門與各部會討論後，決定以志願遣俘原則，也就是尊重戰俘的自由意志，不強迫他們回到原隸屬國家，作為美國最終政策，並指示國務院、國防部，命令聯軍統帥李奇威在停戰談判中執行此原則。 聯軍為了確立志願遣俘原則，曾在漫長的談判過程中，堅定立場，不稍改變。中華民國政府因為非韓戰參戰國之一，對停戰談判等事殊少發言機會，1952年2月外長葉公超代表政府宣示歡迎反共戰俘來臺的意旨。4月，聯軍在和談會議上確定採納志願遣俘原則。10月，因板門店談判無限期休會，主要戰場轉至聯合國。12月，聯合國通過第610(7)號決議案，確立聯軍往後的韓戰政策及決定戰俘的命運，而這階段中，共方的一貫態度就是反對到底。 直至1953年史達林去世，蘇聯改採和平策略，戰俘談判的情勢丕變，敵對雙方首先完成傷病戰俘的交換，6月又簽訂換俘協定，共方正式認可志願遣俘原則，7月底停戰協定簽字，至此民主或共產集團國家，在彼此的節制、不願擴大戰事下達成協定，使國際間共同建立起志願遣俘的新政治庇護制度。

The formulation of the principle (s) of voluntary repatriation of POWs during the Korean War arose from the fierce conflict of allegiance between anti- and procommunist POWs in June 1951. The U.S. Army Chief of Psychological Warfare, Brigadier General Robert A. McClure proposed that the Chinese POWs be allowed to go to Taiwan, which proposal caused a series of discussion among the top officials in Washington D.C. After his consultation with various departments within the U.S. government in the end of February 1952, President Harry S. Truman decided that the final U.S. principle was not to force the POWs to go back to their own country but to respect their free will and both the Department of State and the Department of Defense were instructed to delegate General Ridgway to execute this principle during the armistice talk. To ensure this principle of voluntary repatriation, the UNC had stood firmly by its position and never wavered from the beginning to the end. Not being one of the belligerents in the Korean War, Foreign Minister of the R.O.C., Mr. Kungchao Yeh, declared in February of 1952 that the government would welcome those anticommunist POWs to come to Taiwan. In the Peace Talk Conference of April 1952, the UNC affirmed the adoption of the principle of voluntary repatriation. In October of that year, the talk was being postponed indefinitely and the main war zone moved to the UN. In December of 1952, the UN passed the resolution 610 (VII) to make sure the strategy and policy of the Korean War and the fate of the POWs. To all this, the Chinese communists had adopted an attitude of opposition from the very beginning to the end. Not until its Leader Stalin passed away in March 1953, did Soviet Union adopt a new peace policy, resulting in an improvement of the situation of POWs negotiations ever since. This began with liaison officers of both sides at Panmunjom exchanging the sick and wounded POWs, then followed by the signing of the POW Pact in June of that year. Finally, the Chinese Communists officially recognized the principle of voluntary repatriation and the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in July of 1953, thanks to the restraint and reluctance to broaden the scope of the war by all belligerent parties, either democrat or communist. The principle of voluntary repatriation of the POWs witnessed a new political asylum system being established among the international societies.