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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
Lee-China-summit
Lee activates Xiaomi smartphone gifted by Xi ahead of China visit
By Kim Eun-jung
SHANGHAI, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung activated a Xiaomi smartphone, a gift from Chinese President Xi Jinping, before his visit to China, Cheong Wa Dae has said, an activation that led to what it called his "spur-of-the-moment" idea of using it to take selfies with Xi.
Lee took the selfies with Xi after a state dinner following their summit talks in Beijing on Monday, in what appeared to be a display of budding rapport between the leaders. Xi gave the phone to Lee during their first meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in November.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee asked his aides to activate the phone and bring it to China as he prepared for a second meeting with Xi.
"Lee personally proposed the idea of taking selfies with the Xiaomi smartphone," Kang told reporters.
Kang said the selfie moment was not preplanned but came naturally from Lee's "quick wit and sense of humor."
Xi had given Lee two Xiaomi smartphones equipped with Korean-made displays. At the time, Lee jokingly asked whether the line was secure. Xi laughed in return, telling him to check if there was any "backdoor."
In a post on X after the dinner, Lee shared what he called "once-in-a-lifetime photos." Along with a selfie of himself and Xi, the post included group selfies featuring the two leaders' wives.
During the talks, Lee suggested holding Go tournaments or friendly football matches to boost cultural exchanges, and Xi responded positively.
He also asked whether China could lease more pandas to South Korea, proposing Uchi Park in Gwangju as a possible destination, according to Kang.
Currently, only four pandas live at Everland, South Korea's largest theme park in Yongin, south of Seoul, where they are hugely popular.
As the benchmark KOSPI broke past the 4,500-point mark for the first time on Monday, Lee said that it reflects market expectations that the summit would help improve Seoul–Beijing relations and open up more business opportunities, Kang said.
At the state dinner, Lee and Xi shared a bottle of Maotai, one of China's most famous liquors, along with Beijing-style jajangmyeon, or black bean sauce noodles widely enjoyed in South Korea. Originally inspired by a northern Chinese noodle dish, jajangmyeon is now widely regarded as uniquely Korean.
As Lee asked whether China really had such a menu item, Xi replied that people in northern China do eat it. Asked about the taste, Lee said the Chinese version "tastes healthier," according to Kang.
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