South Korean President Lee Jae Myung snapped a selfie with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping using a smartphone gifted to him by Xi, who had joked at their last meeting that the device might be capable of spying.

Lee posted a selfie of himself, Xi and their wives on social media platform X on Monday during a visit to Beijing.

"A selfie with President Xi Jinping and his wife, taken with the Xiaomi I received as a gift in Gyeongju," Lee wrote.

"Thanks to them, I got the shot of a lifetime.

"I will communicate more frequently and collaborate more closely going forward."

Lee's office also posted a short YouTube video of the scene, with President Xi complimenting the South Korean leader's photo skills.

The Xiaomi handset made headlines in November when Xi cracked a joke to Lee on the sidelines of an Apec summit in South Korea. When Lee asked if the communication line on the device was secure, Xi urged him to "check if there is a backdoor" – referring to pre-installed software that could allow third-party monitoring.

Lee has said Xi was "unexpectedly quite good at making jokes".

During their 90-minute summit on Monday, Xi urged Lee to join Beijing in making the "right strategic choices" in a world that is "becoming more complex and turbulent". (AFP)