A group of civic organizations has called for the government to cancel its plan to send additional troops to Iraq.

The Emergency People's Action against Iraq Troop Deployment also plans to hold a candlelight vigil Monday night in downtown Seoul to call for the cancellation of the troop dispatch and pray for the safe return of a Korean hostage being held in Iraq.

In a news conference earlier in the day, the group also issued an urgent appeal for the immediate release of the hostage, saying that the entire Korean people were deeply shocked by the kidnapping of a Korean national.

In a statement, the group said that, even though the resistance of the Iraqi people against the unjustified invasion of the United States is defensible, the kidnapping of an innocent civilian and the threat to kill him can never be justified.