More than 100 South Korean civic groups have urged the government not to dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz and criticized the U.S. killing of Iran's top general Qassem Soleimani.

In a news conference outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Friday, one-hundred-and-seven civic groups gathered together and denounced the deadly strike on Soleimani as a clear violation of international law and an act of war.

They said the U.S. escalated tensions and argued there is no reason for South Korea to side with American military action.

The groups said Seoul must refuse Washington's request for a troop dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz. 

Regarding U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris' recent comments expressing hope that South Korea will join its maritime campaign in the strait, the civic groups said it was  inappropriate of him to publicly pressure the government.

The civic groups also showcased a performance of them falling down to the ground in a symbolic gesture to demonstrate the pain and suffering caused by U.S. military action.