Key takeaways
- A Korean consumer group is asking the Korea Fair Trade Commission to stop Tesla from selling Full Self-Driving to owners of Shanghai-built Model 3 and Model Y cars, which can’t legally use it.
- Tesla charged about $6,726 per car for FSD for more than three years and only applied for Korean approval in October, yet a Seoul court blamed Korean regulations, not Tesla.
- My view: Tesla does whatever it wants because it knows a court fight takes years and money can bend everything around it. What Elon Musk is doing is no joke anymore.
A Korean consumer group is filing a complaint asking regulators to stop Tesla from marketing Full Self-Driving to Model 3 and Model Y buyers, whose Shanghai-built cars can’t legally run it. Tesla charged 9.043 million won (about $6,726) per car for FSD for more than three years and applied for Korean approval only in October.
In this article: Paying for a concert that has no permit · Money first, the law maybe later · How could the court stand on Tesla’s side? · Pay for three years, risk two years in prison · Number one in Korea, and that’s the scary part · FAQ
Paying for a concert that has no permit
Imagine you buy a concert ticket for $6,700. The organizer knows very well that the hall has no permit and the concert can’t happen. He sells you the ticket anyway, puts a beautiful video of the stage on the poster, and writes “coming soon.” Three years later, you’re still standing outside the door. That is FSD in Korea.
And these aren’t a few unlucky people. More than 170,000 Shanghai-built Teslas went to Korea since 2023. By Tesla’s own numbers, the cars that can’t use FSD made up 99% of what it sold there last year. Tesla knew where its cars came from. It knew the rules. It sold anyway.
Money first, the law maybe later
I have only one question: how is it possible to collect money before everything is in order? For God’s sake, people paid for promises, for something that isn’t even legal in their country. For three years. And not small money: about $6,726 per car. When I read news like this, I see that Tesla does whatever it wants, however it wants, and is afraid of nobody.
At a hearing in parliament in October, Tesla’s own country manager admitted the company had never formally asked the transport ministry to test FSD. Two weeks later, Tesla filed for certification. Three years of money first, and the paperwork only after somebody asked.
So why do the authorities close their eyes? Why doesn’t anyone close the market to Tesla for an offense this big? It’s almost absurd. But no. Tesla just keeps selling.
How could the court stand on Tesla’s side?
And what blew my mind the most: the court didn’t put the blame on Tesla. Tesla collects money, legally on paper, for things people are not allowed to use, and the court still said the fault lies with Korean regulations. Where was the court looking?
The court knew FSD doesn’t meet the rules. The transport ministry says it breaks local safety rules, including the one that says your hands must stay on the wheel. The court knew Tesla sells something that may never pass approval. And it seems it simply didn’t care.
The way I see it, we are now really entering an era where companies and monopolies win over entire states. They knew the rules. They didn’t give a damn, and they said: we have to collect a nice package for our Elon Musk. How a court could side with Tesla doesn’t let me rest.
And the people who have been paying for years now know one thing: there’s no point turning to the court, because it won’t help them with anything. My goodness, how can you take people’s money so openly? Tesla knows it has no right to sell it there, and in three years it didn’t even start dealing with it. In my opinion, this is plain cheating of people in broad daylight. It shows how you can do illegal things in public and fear nothing, because you know it will be fought in court for years, and with money you can twist everything around the law. And the money is there, after three years of collecting it from people for promises.
Pay for three years, risk two years in prison
Then the police. Korean police already booked 80 drivers for illegally unlocking FSD, and the government warns it can mean up to two years in prison. So in the end, the state goes hand in hand with Tesla, and the people who paid are the ones facing prison.
Please, I can’t believe what I’m writing myself. You buy a Tesla, you pay for FSD, and when you somehow manage to unlock it and finally say “now I’ll enjoy what I’ve been paying for three years,” suddenly you face two years in prison. To me, it’s some kind of nightmare, or a black joke.
Number one in Korea, and that’s the scary part
Tesla passed BMW this year to become Korea’s top imported car brand. That only shows that people, unfortunately, really follow someone as arrogant as Elon Musk and walk blindly behind him. And the worst part: they really help him get even more power. And then who knows what he’ll be collecting money for next.
I really want someone to start an investigation. Everything Elon Musk is doing is no joke anymore.
Also on Evolt News: Tesla FSD in Europe and the 10% speed margin · Tesla’s Emergency Drive Away · Musk’s robotaxi and Waymo · Tesla Was Ruled Liable for Fraud Over a Solar Roof. It Offered the Owner $5,000
Featured image: Pixilustration / Unsplash.
This article is opinion.
Tesla FSD in Korea: FAQ
Why can’t Shanghai-built Teslas use FSD in Korea?
US-built Teslas enter Korea under the KORUS free trade agreement, which recognizes US safety standards. China-built cars need separate Korean approval, which FSD does not have.
Which Teslas can use FSD in Korea?
Only US-built models: Model S, Model X and Cybertruck. Tesla says FSD works on about 20% of Teslas registered in Korea.
How much did FSD cost in Korea?
A one-time 9.043 million won (about $6,726), and since August a 150,000 won (about $112) monthly subscription.
What does the Korean consumer group want?
A temporary order to stop marketing FSD for ineligible cars, fines, and a referral of the case to state investigators.
Did Tesla owners in Korea get an FSD refund?
No. A Seoul court dismissed their lawsuit and pointed to Korean regulations as the reason more features never launched.
Is it legal to unlock Tesla FSD with a device in Korea?
No. Korean police booked 80 drivers for using illegal unlock devices, and the government warns it can mean up to two years in prison.
I read this news on Electrek.
Sources: Electrek, Reuters, Korea JoongAng Daily, South China Morning Post.
Our Take
Tesla collected money for Full Self-Driving from Korean buyers for more than three years, for cars that could never legally use it, and a court still put the blame on Korea’s rules.
I think this is what happens when a company grows bigger than the state: the customers pay, the drivers risk prison, and Tesla keeps selling. Someone has to investigate it.
