Shaking Hands with Citizens and Making 'iPhone Jokes'
Responds with 'Shh' Gesture to Compliments Like 'You're Handsome'
Chairman Lee Jae-yong's 'Shh' Meme Trending Online
On the 6th, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who visited Bupyeong Kkangtong Market in Jung-gu, Busan with President Yoon Suk-yeol, became a hot topic after asking, "Why are there so many iPhones?" upon seeing citizens filming him with their phones.
According to Edaily on the 7th, a person identified as A, who visited Kkangtong Market the previous day, said, "I happened to meet Chairman Lee Jae-yong," and added, "He laughed and said, 'Why are there so many iPhones around?'"
The video released by A captures Chairman Lee shaking hands with citizens and asking, "Why are there so many iPhones?"
Earlier, Chairman Lee attended the 'Busan Citizens' Dreams and Challenges' meeting held at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center, along with President Yoon, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, SK Vice Chairman Choi Jae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, and other political and business figures, before visiting Kkangtong Market.
At Kkangtong Market, after eating tteokbokki and fish cakes, Chairman Lee made a playful expression by putting his finger to his lips and saying "shh" when a citizen complimented him as "handsome," which also became a topic of interest.
Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, visiting Bupyeong Kkangtong Market in Jung-gu, Busan, makes a "shh" gesture after being told by a citizen that he is "handsome." [Photo by Online Community]
Netizens who saw this reacted with comments such as, "He looks like a team leader trying to quietly go home to avoid the second round of company dinner," "He looks like someone secretly lining up to buy the new iPhone without the staff knowing," and "His expression is so cute and friendly."
Memes using the photo also became popular. One YouTube thumbnail imagined Chairman Lee making a video titled "Sneaking out of Shilla Hotel without paying, hiding it from my sister (Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla)."
Meanwhile, Chairman Lee's love for Galaxy phones is well known. He is known to joke with reporters using iPhones by saying things like, "If you use Galaxy, I would do the interview," or asking reporters holding iPhones, "Why do you use an iPhone?"
An internet meme parodying a photo of Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics. [Photo by Online Community]
Earlier this year, at the 'Korea Night' event held at the Ameron Hotel in Davos, Switzerland, he also made jokes that turned the scene into laughter. Accompanying President Yoon on his visit to Switzerland, Chairman Lee joked to the press at the event, saying, "When I saw the press again after a long time in Abu Dhabi, everyone had Canon (cameras)."
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