South Korea’s unification minister nominee has claimed that North Korea is operating three semiconductor factories, including two not previously known, the latest evidence of the regime’s efforts to improve its indigenous capabilities to realize its military and technological ambitions.

During his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Monday, Chung Dongyoung also raised the possibility of inter-Korean cooperation on advanced artificial intelligence tools, stating that the DPRK may seek to develop its own version of ChatGPT.

According to Chung, North Korean semiconductor factories in Pyongyang, Phyongsong and Wonsan are producing chips that go into domestically manufactured mobile phones, in line