Photo of N. Korean military exercise apparently altered Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY12:43p.m. EDT March 27, 2013

Photo of N. Korean military exercise apparently altered

Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY12:43p.m. EDT March 27, 2013

The official photo was later withdrawn by a Western photo agency, citing 'excessive digital alteration.'

(Photo: Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images)

Did North Korea alter a photo of a military exercise to make a naval landing look more menacing?

Alan Taylor, who writes the In Focus photo blog forThe Atlantic, says two and possibly three hovercraft appear to have been pasted into the scene of a North Korean military exercise carried out at an undisclosed location on the country's east coast.

The photo, reportedly taken on March 25, was released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency and distributed by AFP/Getty Images.

The exercise was held amid a torrent of threats by North Korea, which is angry over routine U.S.-South Korean drills and recent United Nations sanctions punishing it for its Feb. 12 nuclear test. Pyongyang said Wednesday it had cut its key military hotline with South Korea.

Taylor says the image of a single hovercraft moving right to left along the shore appears to be a "digital twin" copied and pasted from nearby.

Taylor goes through a fascinating, point-by-point examination of the photo in his In Focus blog and says he sought comment from AFP/Getty Images.

AFP/Getty Images later issued a "mandatory kill" of the photo, saying it was being withdrawn "due to excessive digital alternation, compromising its news content." The photo agency apologized to clients for any inconvenience.