North Korean state media has reacted harshly to assertions found in the memoir of former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, terming him a “lying bastard” and a “mad dog.”

The Rodong Sinmun editorial, published February 11, was in reaction to a recent memoir by Lee, who was president from 2008-13. In it Lee wrote that North Korea on more than one occasion suggested an inter-Korean summit but demanded massive cash payouts from the South. Lee has insisted that he rebuffed these requests.