North Korea using image of South Korean president in target practice

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- North Korean soldiers were using what appeared to be a portrait of South Korean President Park Geun-hye during target practice.

The footage of the scene aired Wednesday afternoon on North Korea's state television network KCNA, and the images were likely being used as propaganda to ignite anti-Seoul sentiment in the reclusive country, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The target practice was part of a series of events that occurred during a North Korean military visit to the Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities, according to North Korea.

The museum displays propaganda that claims U.S. soldiers killed 35,000 Korean civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War. During the visit, North Korean soldiers held a meeting where they vowed retaliation.

Scenes that were televised on Wednesday showed North Korean soldiers using cutouts attached to wooden sticks during a practice session at an outdoor shooting range, South Korean newspaper Maeil Business reported.

The portrait in the middle appeared blurry on North Korea footage but a closer examination indicated the image of the woman closely resembled the South Korean president. The other four images that flanked the central figure were unidentified but also are believed to be those of leading South Korean politicians. In the background ran a North Korean slogan that read "Death to U.S. imperialists."

South Korea press reported this is not the first time Seoul and Pyongyang have engaged in a propaganda war using scenes of target practice.

In 2011, North Korea condemned images of South Korean soldiers using portraits of Kim Jong Un and former leader Kim Jong Il as targets, Yonhap reported.