North Korea on Saturday called disgraced former South Korean president Park Geun-hye a “traitor” responsible for “extra-large hideous corruption”, in its first reaction to the sentencing of Park to 24 years in prison on corruption charges.

Relations between the Koreas were terrible while the conservative Park was in office as she took a hard line after the North accelerated its nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2016.

For years, North Korea’s state media used extremely violent and sexist language to criticise Park, calling her a “prostitute” for the United States and a “murderous demon” destined to meet “a sudden and violent death”. In June last year, North Korea vowed to execute Park and her spy chief, accusing them of planning to assassinate the North’s supreme leadership, an allegation the South’s National Intelligence Service denied.

Millions of South Koreans protested for Park’s removal before an opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach her in December 2016. Park was formally removed from office and arrested in March last year. She called her trial political revenge and declined to attend court sessions.