Prior to it, they held a press conference at Kwanghwamun.

A press release was read out at the conference.

The release accused Chongwadae and the Defense Ministry of taking military actions while pursuing the confrontation policy at a time when the tensions that were sparked off by the authorities' provocation of the north still run high.

The authorities declared the day when the Cheonan ship was sunken as the "day of punishment" and are now calling the DPRK's planned launch of a satellite a "provocation", the release said, and added:

This unprecedented serious crisis is totally attributable to the anti-DPRK confrontation policy of the Lee Myung Bak "government".

Being forsaken by the people, the authorities are resorting to the unprecedented confrontation racket to tide over the ruling crisis.

In order to handle today's situation Lee Myung Bak must immediately roll back the confrontation policy and apologize to the people.

After the conference the group began the sit-down strike in Chonggye Square.