Tesla FSD Illegally Activated on Chinese-Made Vehicles in South Korea
South Korean authorities recorded 85 attempted illegal activations of Tesla's Full Self-Driving system on Chinese-made vehicles between late 2025 and April 2026, vehicles that lack the domestic safety certification required for FSD use. The Ministry of Transportation referred cases to police for investigation and identified violations of domestic automotive safety laws, while officials acknowledged limitations in enforcement due to privacy law restrictions and the reactive nature of current countermeasures.
What happened
As of April 28, 2026, 85 attempted illegal activations of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature on Chinese-manufactured Tesla vehicles in South Korea had been recorded, according to a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee.
Only Tesla models made in the United States—the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck—are legally permitted to use FSD in South Korea under the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement safety standards equivalency clause. Chinese-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, which comprise 97.6 percent of registered Teslas in South Korea, lack domestic safety certification and are prohibited from using FSD.
Users attempted to illegally activate FSD using unofficial external equipment or source code modifications.
Reported impact
The unauthorized activation of FSD on non-certified vehicles potentially compromises road safety, as these vehicles have not undergone the required domestic safety certification process.
Index analysis
Of approximately 180,692 registered Tesla vehicles in South Korea, only about 4,292 (2.4 percent) are legally authorized to use FSD: 2,708 Model X units, 1,193 Model S units, and 391 Cybertruck units.
The Ministry of Transportation determined that unauthorized FSD activation violates South Korea's Automobile Management Act Article 29, which prohibits modifying or installing safety-critical software without authorization, and Article 35, which requires vehicles to comply with safety standards. Violators face up to two years imprisonment or fines up to 20 million won.
Governance controls
The Ministry of Transportation referred the illegal activations to police for investigation. Tesla Korea deployed software updates as a countermeasure, though officials noted these remain reactive rather than preventive measures.
A lawmaker stated that government enforcement is hindered by data protection law restrictions that prevent authorities from identifying individual vehicle owners.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.