Tesla Autopilot and its pricier sibling, Full Self-Driving (Supervised), are now at the centre of two separate fights in South Korea. One is a consumer complaint, the other a police case. Both come back to the same problem: most Teslas on Korean roads are not allowed to use FSD at all.
On November 4, Reuters reported that the advocacy group Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty plans to file a complaint with the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) on Thursday, November 5. It accuses Tesla Korea of deceptive marketing. A week earlier, on October 27, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it had booked 80 people for allegedly unlocking FSD with unauthorised devices.
Neither case has been decided. Tesla did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, according to The Straits Times, which carried the Reuters report.
What is the difference between Tesla Autopilot and FSD?
Tesla Autopilot is the basic driver-assistance package: adaptive cruise control and lane-centring steering on suitable roads. FSD (Supervised) is a paid upgrade that adds features such as navigating routes and city-street driving. Tesla describes both as systems that need an attentive driver ready to take over. Neither makes the car self-driving.
That naming matters here. The Korean stories are about FSD, not standard Autopilot. Many readers search for “Tesla Autopilot” when they mean any Tesla driver-assistance feature, which is part of why regulators around the world watch Tesla’s wording closely. In Europe, Tesla has already renamed FSD (Supervised), as we covered in our story on the Tesla Assisted Driving name change.
What does the Korean consumer group allege?
According to the complaint seen by Reuters, Tesla marketed FSD (Supervised) to Korean buyers for years while knowing most of its cars there could not legally use it. The group says Tesla promoted FSD as “coming soon” in 2025 with a demo video shot in Korea, without clearly saying only a small share of cars qualified.
The money involved is significant. Tesla charged a one-off fee of 9.043 million won (about $6,726, or roughly Rs 6.4 lakh) for the option, according to Reuters. The Next Web, citing Reuters, says Tesla switched to a monthly fee of 150,000 won in August.
“Tesla generated substantial revenue by selling an expensive driver-assistance system to mass-market buyers who cannot use it for even a single day,” Choi Young-suk, who leads automotive issues at the group, told Reuters.
The group wants three things from the KFTC: a temporary order stopping FSD marketing for ineligible cars, administrative fines, and a referral to state investigators.
Why can most Teslas in Korea not use FSD?
It comes down to where the car was built. US-made Teslas meet American safety standards that Korea recognises under the Korea-US free trade agreement, so FSD is legal on them. Most Teslas sold in Korea are Shanghai-built Model 3 and Model Y cars, which have no such route.
| Figure | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Teslas on Korean roads (August 2026) | 229,311 | Carisyou Data Lab, via Korea JoongAng Daily |
| Teslas legally able to use FSD | 47,458 (20.7%) | Carisyou Data Lab |
| Share able to use FSD | About 20% | Tesla Korea’s Seo Young-deuk, October testimony |
| Share able to use FSD (end of September) | 22.4% | Tesla figures, reported by TeslAnt |
| China-made Teslas sold since 2023 | More than 170,000 | Tesla data to the National Assembly, via Reuters |
| New Teslas sold last year unable to use FSD | 99% | Same Tesla data |
| One-off FSD price | 9.043 million won | Reuters |
| Monthly FSD price (from August) | 150,000 won | Reuters, via The Next Web |
The eligible models are the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck, according to Korea JoongAng Daily and Yonhap. FSD was not activated in Korea until late 2025, The Straits Times reports.
What happened in the Seoul police case?
On October 27, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said its traffic crime investigation team had booked 80 people under the Motor Vehicle Management Act and seized 21 unauthorised activation devices. The suspects allegedly used devices bought in Europe, China and elsewhere, or built their own, to unlock FSD on cars not cleared for it.
Police gave two examples. One suspect allegedly bought a European-made device and plugged it into their own Tesla. Another, who works in IT, allegedly built a device using information found on GitHub, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Police said suspects also swapped tips online, including how to avoid leaving records of the activation in their cars.
“Safety risks were confirmed, including the possibility that FSD may fail to properly recognize driving conditions or operate differently from the driver’s intentions,” a police official said.
The transport ministry asked police to investigate after spotting signs of unauthorised activation. Yonhap reports that Tesla Korea remotely disabled FSD on cars where it found unauthorised activation, but attempts continued. We first looked at this unlocking trend in our Tesla FSD India and Korea unlock story.
What penalties do the Tesla owners face?
The government treats unlocking as arbitrarily changing, installing, adding or deleting software that may affect safe driving, which the Motor Vehicle Management Act bans. Violators face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won (about $15,000), according to Korea JoongAng Daily and Yonhap. No court has ruled on these 80 cases.
How has Tesla responded so far?
Tesla has not commented publicly on the complaint. At an October 8 parliamentary hearing, Seo Young-deuk said Tesla had not yet formally asked the transport ministry to test FSD. Tesla applied for certification about two weeks later, according to Reuters. The ministry has said FSD breaks local safety rules, including hands-on-wheel requirements.
There is also an earlier court result. A Seoul court in October dismissed a lawsuit by Tesla owners seeking FSD refunds, saying regulatory and legal limits had restricted what Tesla could roll out, according to Reuters via The Straits Times. Separately, a KFTC official told Reuters the agency began probing Tesla’s FSD advertising this year and has received written answers from the company.
Tesla FSD in Korea: confirmed vs not confirmed
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Complaint to be filed with KFTC on November 5 | Reported by Reuters; filing not yet confirmed |
| KFTC probe into FSD ads this year | Confirmed by a KFTC official to Reuters |
| 80 people booked, 21 devices seized | Confirmed by Seoul police |
| Investigation start month | April (JoongAng, Yonhap) vs May (Herald Business) |
| Share of Teslas eligible for FSD | 20%, 20.7% or 22.4% depending on source and date |
| FSD approval for China-built Teslas | Applied for; not approved |
| Tesla comment on the complaint | None given |
CarBike Insight Analysis
This is less about whether Tesla Autopilot or FSD works and more about what buyers were told at the point of sale. If the KFTC agrees that the marketing blurred the line between “coming soon” and “legal on your car”, Tesla could face fines and tighter ad rules in one of its stronger Asian markets. If it does not, the October court ruling suggests Tesla has a defence built on regulation, not deception. We will not guess the outcome.
The police case points the other way. Some owners were so keen on FSD that they allegedly hacked it on. That tells regulators demand is real, but it also hands them a safety argument for going slow.
For Indian buyers, the lesson is simple. Tesla sells cars here, as our look at Tesla Model Y EMI offers shows, but FSD is not offered in India. Before paying for any software feature, ask in writing whether it works legally on your exact car, in your country, today. And never use unofficial unlock devices.
FAQ
Is Tesla Autopilot the same as Full Self-Driving?
No. Tesla Autopilot covers basic adaptive cruise control and lane-centring steering. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a paid upgrade with more features. Tesla says both require an attentive driver, and neither makes the car autonomous.
Who filed the Tesla FSD complaint in South Korea?
Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, an advocacy group, planned to file it with the Korea Fair Trade Commission on November 5, 2026, according to Reuters. It alleges deceptive marketing of FSD to buyers whose cars cannot legally use it.
How many people did Seoul police book over FSD unlocking?
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it booked 80 people under the Motor Vehicle Management Act and seized 21 unauthorised activation devices. Some Korean reports say “more than 80”. The cases have been referred to prosecutors.
Which Teslas can legally use FSD in Korea?
Only US-built models, namely the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck, according to Korean reports. China-built Model 3 and Model Y cars have not passed Korea’s safety standards for the feature.
Is Tesla FSD or Autopilot available in India?
Tesla sells cars in India, but FSD is not offered here. Indian buyers should confirm in writing which driver-assistance features work on their car before paying for any option.
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