Dozens of civic groups in South Korea condemned the United States for placing South Korean employees of U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) on an indefinite furlough starting Wednesday, in the absence of a renewed cost-sharing agreement between the two countries.

At a press conference in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday, the groups accused Washington of forcing South Korean workers on the edge of a precipice as leverage in negotiations to determine Seoul's share of the upkeep of U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula.

The groups said the Pentagon's decision behind the furlough is illegal in that it goes against the allies' Status of Forces Agreement(SOFA), the cost-sharing Special Measures Agreement(SMA) and South Korea's labor laws.

The protesters then urged the Donald Trump administration to withdraw its demand for Seoul to drastically increase its contribution.

While Washington is reportedly demanding Seoul increase its burden to about four billion U.S. dollars, Seoul is insisting on a roughly ten-percent increase from the 870 million dollars it paid under last year's agreement.