President Lee Takes a 'Selfie' with Xi Jinping Using Xiaomi Phone: "Thanks for the Once-in-a-Lifetime Shot. Haha."

President Lee: "I will communicate more often and cooperate even more in the future"
Director Wi Sungrak: "Personal relationship and rapport have reached another level... an important achievement"

Following the first Korea-China summit held last November in Gyeongju on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, it has been assessed that the rapport between President Lee Jaemyung and Chinese President Xi Jinping has deepened further during their second meeting in Beijing.

Yonhap News Agency

On the 5th (local time), President Lee and President Xi held a 90-minute summit, followed by a state banquet from 6:40 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. on the third floor of the Great Hall of the People, during which they strengthened their relationship of trust.

Wi Sungrak, Director of the National Security Office, who closely observed the process, held a briefing at the press center in downtown Beijing and stated, "The entire discussion was candid and sincere, with personal rapport exchanged between the two leaders, which led to an extended conversation. Following Gyeongju, the personal relationship and rapport between the two leaders have reached another level. This is an important achievement."

In fact, during his opening remarks at the summit, President Lee said, "I hope this will be a decisive opportunity to discuss what we could not cover in Gyeongju and to further solidify the historic trend of fully restoring Korea-China relations." In response, President Xi replied, "The more you befriend someone, the closer you become; the more you visit your neighbor, the closer you get. As friends and neighbors, Korea and China should visit each other more often and communicate diligently."

That day, after the state banquet, President Lee also posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of himself taking a 'selfie' with President Xi. Under the title "Is the image quality clear?", he wrote, "A selfie with President Xi and his wife using the Xiaomi phone I received as a gift in Gyeongju. Thanks to this, I got a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Haha." The Xiaomi smartphone was a gift from President Xi during the Gyeongju summit. President Lee brought the gifted Xiaomi smartphone to Beijing and took a photo together. He also wrote, "The more we meet up close, the more Korea-China relations improve. We will communicate more frequently and cooperate even more in the future."

Yonhap News Agency

Previously, a joke exchanged between the two leaders during the Gyeongju summit also drew attention. President Xi is known for his characteristic impassiveness and is not known to enjoy joking. At that time, after receiving the Xiaomi smartphone from President Xi, President Lee joked, "Is the communication security good?" to which President Xi responded, "Check if there is a backdoor."

Meanwhile, at the state banquet that day, six Korean and six Chinese songs were performed. The Korean pieces included "Hanobaeknyeon," "Spring in My Hometown," and "Doraji Arirang," while from the Chinese side, a hit song performed by President Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, titled "Who Wouldn't Say Our Hometown Is Good," was played. In the latter part of the banquet, a cultural performance featured a piano, cello, and violin trio performing the Korean song "Love Is Like a Dream."

Director Wi summarized the overall achievements of this summit by saying, "We have firmly established the foundation for diplomacy in the national interest through summit diplomacy and strengthened the basis for political trust and friendly sentiment between Korea and China. The two leaders reached a consensus to continue meeting annually, and also agreed to restore the strategic dialogue channel and expand communication and exchanges between defense authorities."