Schroder’s Fifth Marriage

 
 
 
 

Vocabulary

former	ceremony	chancellor
divorce	party (2)	play a role
spouse	announce	partner (2)
spot (2)	moniker	committed
claim	string (3)	came to light
role	breakup	middle way
dub (2)	figure (3)	fashionable
set (2)	badge (2)	on account of
adopted	previous	conference
press	confused	press conference
split	couple (2)	tremendous
stir (2)	heritage	opportunity
forum	translator	ostentation
public	major (2)	prominence
premier	in office	campaigner
adopted	press (2)	extensively
divisive

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

The Announcement

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is to marry his South Korean girlfriend later in the year. Kim So-yeon is nearly three decades younger than Schröder, who has been married four times.

The 73-year-old former Chancellor Gerhard announced on Thursday that he was to marry his partner Kim So-yeon in a ceremony later this year.

Schröder has had a string of wives, most recently divorcing fourth spouse Doris Schröder-Köpf in 2016.

The former Social Democratic Party (SPD) chancellor, who was in office from 1998 to 2005, remains a divisive figure within the SPD.

A New Chapter

• The relationship between Schröder and Kim came to light in September last year, when the former chancellor’s fourth wife Doris Schröder-Köpf claimed the South Korean had played a role in the breakup.

• The couple created something of a stir last weekend when they were spotted dining out at a South Korean restaurant in Berlin’s fashionable Kreuzberg district.

• Schröder had already been dubbed “Audi Man” on account of his four marriages and the auto maker’s four-ring car badge. Now he will have the full Olympic set. Another moniker is “Lord of the Rings”.

• Kim (not to be confused with the actress of the same name) has a daughter from a previous marriage while Schröder has two adopted children with his last wife.

Future Plans

“I’ve already met her family,” he told a press conference in Seoul, Schröder said. “I have tremendous interest in South Korea’s history, culture and arts and … would like to have more opportunities to learn more about South Koreans and the country’s heritage.”

The couple plan to split their time between Germany and South Korea.

In an interview with German society magazine Bunte, Kim said “Gerhard Schröder and I will find a middle way to live in both cultures without ostentation.”

Who is Schröder’s New Wife?

Kim So-yeon works for German business development agency NRW.Invest in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and is a member of the German-Korean Forum. She has also worked as a translator for Schröder.

And his Former Wives?

Schröder was married to Eva Schubach from 1969 to 1972 and Anne Taschenmacher from 1972 to 1984. Neither was a major public figure and they were married to Schröder before he came to real public prominence.

He was married to Hiltrud Schwetje, a committed anti-nuclear campaigner, from 1984 to 1997 during which time Schröder became state premier of Lower Saxony. Their breakup was extensively documented by the press.

Schröder’s fourth marriage was to journalist and politician Doris Schröder-Köpf and the couple adopted two children, a son and daughter, from Russia.

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Questions

1. The marriage of Gerhard Schröder and Kim So-yeon will be ordinary and normal. True or false? Why is there public interest?

2. Was Schröder very prominent (famous) at the turn of the century? Was he universally admired and respected?

3. Did he divorce or breakup with his fourth wife and then began dating Kim; or did he start a relationship with Kim that led to his divorce?

4. “Schröder had already been dubbed ‘Audi Man’ . . . Now he will have the full Olympic set.” What does this mean?

5. The couple, especially Kim, wants to stay only in Germany because Germany is a rich, developed, modern, Western EU country. Is this correct or incorrect?

6. Did the couple meet on a dating site?

7. The media really appreciates (loves) Schroder (his personal life). Is this right or wrong?
 
 
A. Do you know anyone who has been married and divorced several times?

B. Is divorce very common, common, in the middle, not common or very rare? Has it been changing over the years?

D. What are the causes of divorce?

E. Do people marry others of the same age, or do they differ in ages?

F. Some men and women in my country marry foreigners. Yes or no?

G. What will happen in the future?

H. How can divorces be prevented?