Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare joke about spying while giving smartphones to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The playful moment happened in Gyeongju on Saturday during the APEC summit, marking Xi’s first visit to South Korea in over ten years.
Xi handed over two Xiaomi smartphones with Korean-made displays. Lee smiled and asked, “Is the communication line secure?” Xi laughed and replied, “You should check if there is a backdoor,” hinting at hidden software used for spying. His comment drew laughter and applause from both leaders’ teams.
The light exchange quickly spread across South Korean media. Seoul Shinmun ran the headline, “Xi bursts into laughter after Lee jokes about security of Xiaomi phones.” A video of the moment on YouTube gained hundreds of comments, many expressing surprise at Xi’s humor.
Lee’s spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said the joke showed growing warmth between the two leaders. “If it weren’t for such chemistry, that kind of joke wouldn’t happen,” he said. Kim added that Lee might even use the phones gifted to him and his wife.
