President Lee Jae Myung posts a selfie with Xi Jinping taken on the Xiaomi phone gifted by the Chinese leader, who previously joked about its security.
BEIJING: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung posted a selfie with Chinese leader Xi Jinping using a smartphone gifted to him by Xi.
The photo, featuring both leaders and their wives, was shared on social media platform X on Monday during Lee’s visit to Beijing.
“A selfie with President Xi Jinping and his wife, taken with the Xiaomi I received as a gift in Gyeongju,” Lee wrote.
He added that he got the “shot of a lifetime” and would communicate more closely with China going forward.
Xi had previously joked about the device’s security during their meeting at an APEC summit in South Korea last November.
When Lee asked if the communication line was secure, Xi urged him to “check if there is a backdoor”.
The term refers to pre-installed software that could allow unauthorised third-party monitoring.
Lee has since remarked that Xi was “unexpectedly quite good at making jokes”.
During their 90-minute summit, Xi urged Lee to join Beijing in making the “right strategic choices” in a complex world.
The visit followed a US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an action condemned by Beijing.
Lee’s selfie post was shared more than 3,400 times in its first few hours online.
One social media user quipped, “Sir, Do you know Nicolas Maduro used the same phone?”
The South Korean leader has sought to improve ties with China after a years-long diplomatic freeze.
