The wife of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder was dismissed from the position of commercial representative of the commercial agency of the German state because of her participation in the reception on the occasion of Victory Day at the Russian embassy in Berlin, News.ro reports with reference to The Guardian.

Gerhard Schröder and his wife Soyon Schröder-KimPhoto: Christophe Gateau / AFP / Profimedia

The employment relationship between Soyon Schroeder-Kim and NRW.Global Business was terminated “without notice and with immediate effect,” a spokesman for the North Rhine-Westphalia state economy ministry said on Tuesday.

Photos that appeared in the media and on social media showed Schroeder and his wife attending a reception at the Russian embassy in Berlin on May 9, sparking fresh criticism of the disgraced former Social Democrat head of government, who refused to end his friendship with Volodymyr Putin and business ties with Russia, despite the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine.

Soyeon Schroeder-Kim, 55, worked for 11 years as a representative of South Korea at the foreign trade promotion agency in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She still listed that role as her primary job Tuesday when she worked on his LinkedIn profile. , notes The Guardian.