80 Tesla owners facing prosecution in South Korea

Police in South Korea have reportedly referred 80 Tesla owners to prosecutors for allegedly using unauthorised devices to activate the company's 'Full Self-Driving' system in vehicles without approval.

Image: Tesla

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has said its traffic crime investigation team has seized 21 ‘activation devices’, with suspects accused of either importing the equipment from overseas or building their own devices to bypass Tesla’s regional software restrictions. One case reportedly included an owner who purchased an activation device in Europe and connected it to their Tesla, while another suspect working in the IT sector allegedly built their own device using technical information about Tesla’s electronic control systems and open-source material. Police also found that the suspects had shared instructions online about activating FSD without authorisation and removing trace of its use from vehicles.

Under South Korean regulations, Tesla’s FSD feature is currently only available on US-built Model S and Model X vehicles and the Cybertruck. These models are exempt from domestic vehicle safety certification under provisions of the South Korean-US free trade agreement. Chinese-built models, including the Model 3 and Model Y, are not approved to use the system.

Unauthorised activation of FSD is therefore considered a violation of South Korea’s Motor Vehicle Management Act, which prohibits arbitrary changes to vehicle software that could affect safe operation. Offenders face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won (approx. €12,000).

Police have said that the unauthorised activation methods present safety risks, including the possibility that vehicles could fail to recognise driving conditions correctly or operate contrary to the drivers’ intentions. The investigation was launched in April following a request from Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Korea JoongAng Daily quotes a police official as saying: “We are working closely with related agencies, including asking the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and [the] Korea Transportation Safety Authority for advice on technical matters such as changes to FSD’s functional structure. We will continue to actively investigate illegal acts that threaten road safety.”