Jane Han is the North America editor for The Korea Times. Based in Seattle, she has covered business, culture and social issues across the United States for over 15 years. She previously worked at The Boston Globe.
Viral Lee-Xi selfie hands Xiaomi spotlight, sidelines Samsung
President Lee Jae Myung, left, takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone after a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. The image later went viral on social media. Joint Press Corps
By Jane Han
A casual selfie shared by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping has turned into an unexpected publicity boost for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, while pushing Samsung Electronics — often regarded as Korea’s national tech champion — out of the frame.
The photo, taken during Lee’s state visit to China and posted on his social media, showed the two leaders posing with a Xiaomi smartphone that Xi had previously given Lee as a gift. In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Lee asked, “Is the image quality good?” and described the selfie as a “once-in-a-lifetime photo,” drawing attention to the device used rather than the diplomatic setting.
The image circulated widely on social media and was later picked up by overseas online media and tech-focused websites, which noted the use of a Xiaomi device by Korea’s president.
“Think of Korean President Lee pulling out Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold phone and capturing a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” said Yash, a contributor to Samsung-focused tech media outlet Sammy Fans. “That Korea-China diplomatic dinner would have been a prime moment to showcase Samsung, a brand closely associated with South Korea’s rise as a technology powerhouse. Instead, Xiaomi ended up in the spotlight.”
Comments on social media soon framed the episode as an awkward moment for Samsung. “Not a Samsung phone, but a Xiaomi phone for a selfie?” one user wrote. Another agreed, asking, “Why is Lee promoting the wrong phone?”
Others questioned why Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong had been included in the business delegation accompanying the president on the trip. “Awkward moment for Samsung,” another user wrote.
The reaction reflects how closely Samsung is tied to South Korea’s global technology image. Samsung smartphones are widely used by government officials and have long been associated with the country’s export-driven tech industry, making the visibility given to a rival Chinese brand stand out to many observers.
For Xiaomi, the moment delivered rare, organic exposure on a global stage. Images of Lee taking the selfie were shared widely across social platforms, particularly in China, where users framed the photo as a sign of the brand’s growing international profile.
Industry analysts say such moments are unlikely to affect sales in the short term, but can shape perceptions in a fiercely competitive global smartphone market.