美国的单方面宣布使韩国国内谣言四起，说这次撤军肯定与韩国国内日益高涨的反美风潮有关，特别是韩国不情愿并拖延再次派遣3，600名本土士兵到伊拉克，是这次撤军直接的导火索。
America's unilateral announcement has fuelled rumors to the effect that withdrawal must have something to do with the rising tide of anti-Americanism in South Korea, and especially with the country's reluctance and delay in dispatching an additional 3,600 of its own soldiers to Iraq.