The South Korean government has issued a stern warning to Tesla owners against illegally enabling the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, noting that doing so is a criminal offence.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revealed that Tesla Korea identified a software vulnerability linked to unauthorized FSD activations and reported it as a cybersecurity threat. The move follows reports from overseas where owners used unofficial external devices or public source code to bypass safety protocols.
In South Korea, FSD is currently only permitted for use in U.S.-made vehicles, such as the Model S, Model X, and the Cybertruck. Under the Korea-U.S. FTA, these vehicles are exempt from local certification if they meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. However, models imported from China, including the popular Model Y, are not certified under local safety standards and are therefore prohibited from using FSD.
The ministry warned that any vehicle with an unauthorized FSD activation is considered non-compliant with the Motor Vehicle Management Act and cannot be legally operated. Under Article 35 of the Act, arbitrarily altering or adding software that affects safe operation is a serious violation.
“Violators may face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won [$13,000],” the ministry said.
Tesla Korea also issued its own notice, clarifying that the vehicle warranty is only valid when the car remains in its factory-certified state. The company stated it may refuse service the moment such modifications are detected.
Furthermore, Tesla emphasized that it will bear no responsibility for accidents involving unauthorized devices. “There must not be cases in which Tesla owners in Korea, without fully recognizing the issue, activate FSD without authorization,” the ministry added.
