Tesla: 80 people were arrested in South Korea for unlocking FSD
The South Korean police have arrested 80 Tesla owners suspected of unauthorized use of FSD Supervised and seized 21 devices used to activate it, according to Financial News. Earlier in March 2026, the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport classified such modifications as illegal. Simply plugging in the “adapter” can result in up to 2 years in prison.
What’s allowed, what’s not, and how much it costs
The FSD package can be purchased in South Korea, but its use in the version known in the United States is prohibited. According to the ministry, a car equipped with an external unlocking device no longer meets safety standards. The penalty is up to 20 million won or up to 2 years in prison. The driver is also fully responsible for any traffic accidents caused by such a car.
InsideEVs explains the background of the issue. FSD is officially available only on Teslas built in the US, so owners of cars produced in China illegally unlock it. The devices work while the car is running by changing the flags responsible for FSD (in simple terms: 1 means available and active, 0 means unavailable). This allows the system to be enabled in areas where Tesla has not yet approved it.
Where the equipment came from and who the police visited
The devices, or more precisely, the hardware that interferes with the car’s communication, originated from Europe and China. Among those arrested were ordinary users who purchased a ready-made module and installed it in their Teslas. There was also a driver who built his own version based on descriptions and code from GitHub.
The police also approached those who discussed online the unauthorized use of FSD and ways to cover their tracks. These actions are set to continue in conjunction with relevant government agencies, as these modifications violate regulations regarding vehicle certification for road use.
Numbers That Don’t Quite Add Up
80 arrests and only 21 seized devices represent a striking disparity. Elektrowoz.pl notes that some owners may have been scared by warnings from half a year ago or returned their equipment when the trick stopped working. This includes those who installed the module themselves and those who only wrote about it in forums. It’s therefore unclear how many of the 80 actually drove with unlocked FSD.
Tesla had previously stated it would cooperate with law enforcement. Now we can see what that means in practice: a manufacturer-induced blockage plus a police visit.
For EV owners, the message is simple. Autonomous driving software isn’t just a tweak that results in a fine. In Korea, “FSD via adapter” now carries penalties of up to 20 million won or 2 years in prison, so it’s no longer a cheap hack.
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