South Korean Police Are Cracking Down On Tesla Owners Jailbreaking FSD

Only U.S.-built Teslas get FSD, so Korean owners of Chinese-built Teslas are illegally unlocking it.

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

By: Nico DeMattia

Oct 28, at 2:00pm ET

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The Seoul Police have arrested 80 Tesla owners for jailbreaking their cars to unlock Full Self-Driving (FSD) that they weren't authorized to use, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. But why arrest them for jailbreaking software in their own car? For many Korean Teslas, FSD isn't road-legal.

Only U.S.-built models sold in South Korea, like the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, have FSD that's legally passed Korea's safety regulations, the outlet said. And since Korea also gets Chinese-built Model Ys and Model 3s, most Tesla drivers in the country can't access the feature through traditional means.

Drivers were either buying illegal third-part activation devices to unlock Teslsa's famous Level 2 driver-assistance system, or making their own, the outlet reported. Those that were bought typically came from either Europe or China, and installed by the cars' owners. Some more capable owners made their own, using software from GitHub. The Korean government considers altering vehicle software a safety issue and violation of its Motor Vehicle Management Act. According to Korea JoongAng Daily, violators could face two years in prison or a fine of up to $15,000.

Photo by: robot*irl/YouTube

“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, per Korea JoongAng Daily.

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Why not just buy an American made Tesla? Your pickings for new cars are limited to just the Cybertruck. And since FSD is important to so many Tesla customers, demand has apparently driven the price of used American ones way up. According to JoongAng Daily, the price of used American Teslas can be as much as 50% more, with some used Teslas costing hundreds of millions of Korean won. So most customers would rather pay significantly less for a brand-new one, even if it's Chinese-built.

There are customer reports on social media of Chinese Teslas being built better, with better quality control and fewer imperfections from the factory. The big downside of a Chinese Tesla in Korea is that it lacks FSD. But unless you want a visit from the cops, you're just going to have to live without it.