Tesla Korea's 'unverified' FSD under scrutiny

Tesla Korea’s supervised Full Self-Driving vehicles faced scrutiny during the National Assembly’s annual audit on Thursday in Korea over the lack of an official safety evaluation. About 45,000 U.S.-made Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD are on Korean roads, and Tesla Korea said it plans to seek formal approval. BYD Korea also faced questions about overseas transfers of customer data and whether both automakers have sufficient safety infrastructure amid rapid sales growth.

Tesla Korea has not requested testing from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the Korea Transportation Safety Authority.

Supervised FSD is currently available only in U.S.-made Tesla vehicles, while more than 70 percent of Tesla Korea’s sales consist of China-produced vehicles, including the Model Y.

BYD’s privacy policy was described as allowing names, email addresses, vehicle identification numbers and license plate numbers to be transferred to its headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

Tesla registered 89,148 new vehicles in Korea from January through September, a 104.4 percent year-on-year increase, while BYD registrations rose 578.7 percent to 20,137 units.

Published Oct 8, 2026 8:53 pm KST

Updated Oct 8, 2026 10:26 pm KST

BYD Korea grilled over alleged transfer of customer data to Chinese headquarters

A Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle drives itself with the Full Self-Driving service engaged on a freeway in Los Angeles, Calif., Nov. 6, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap

Tesla Korea’s vehicles equipped with supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) will be facing tighter scrutiny after the company came under criticism during the National Assembly’s annual audit, Thursday, over the system’s lack of an official safety evaluation by relevant authorities in Korea.

Some 45,000 U.S.-made Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD are currently on Korean roads, but the autonomous driving system has not undergone a government safety test.

During the audit, Tesla Korea Country Manager Seo Young-deuk said the company plans to seek formal approval for FSD in Korea. He acknowledged that it has not officially requested testing by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the Korea Transportation Safety Authority — two key authorities related with auto safety certification.

“We have not requested any tests from the authorities,” Seo said. “If the government establishes a system and channel for verification, we will actively undergo the evaluation.”

U.S.-made Tesla vehicles can currently operate with supervised FSD in Korea. More than 70 percent of Tesla Korea’s sales are made up of vehicles produced in China, including the Model Y, but FSD is currently available only on cars made in the U.S.

Seo said U.S.-made Tesla vehicles can operate using the feature under the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, while other vehicles, such as the models imported from China, must comply with Korean regulations.

According to the land ministry, it cannot block U.S.-made Tesla vehicles from accessing FSD, as there is currently no international governing standard.

Tesla maintains a policy under which the driver remains responsible for any accidents that occur while operating FSD.

BYD Korea's Seal all-electric sedans / Courtesy of BYD Korea

Meanwhile, BYD Korea also caught flak for its alleged overseas transfer of Korean customers’ personal data.

Cho In-chul, CEO of the passenger vehicle division at BYD Korea, appeared before the audit to respond to allegations that customers who refuse to consent to the overseas transfer of their personal information could face restrictions when purchasing vehicles.

Rep. Kim Eun-hye of main opposition People Power Party said BYD’s privacy policy allows personal information, including customers’ names, email addresses, vehicle identification numbers and license plate numbers, to be transferred to BYD’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

She presented a recording from a BYD retail store suggesting that customers who refuse to consent to the transfer could face difficulties purchasing a vehicle.

“I will look into it again and see whether there is a way (to address the issue),” Cho said.

Kim also raised concerns over China’s data security law, asking whether BYD’s headquarters could refuse a request from Chinese authorities for Korean customer information.

Cho did not give a direct answer, only saying that BYD Korea would “strictly comply with Korea’s personal information protection law.”

The heads of the two electric vehicle (EV) makers also faced questioning over whether the carmakers have built sufficient safety-related infrastructure to support their rapid sales growth in Korea.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Tesla registered 89,148 new vehicles in the country between January and September, up 104.4 percent from a year earlier. The figure has been driven mostly by surging sales of the Chinese-manufactured Model Y EVs, which have gained traction due to competitive pricing.

BYD’s sales also surged 578.7 percent year-on-year to 20,137 units during the same period. The performance is particularly noteworthy in that the brand’s passenger cars debuted in January 2025, and have less than two years of sales history here.

Tesla and BYD are the fastest-growing overseas auto brands in Korea in terms of sales.

周四，在韩国国会年度审计中，特斯拉韩国的“全自动驾驶”（FSD）车辆因缺乏官方安全评估而受到审查。目前，约有4.5万辆配备FSD的美国产特斯拉汽车在韩国道路上行驶，特斯拉韩国表示计划寻求正式批准。比亚迪韩国也面临着关于客户数据海外传输以及两家汽车制造商在销量快速增长的情况下是否拥有足够的安全基础设施等问题的质询。

特斯拉韩国公司尚未向国土交通部或韩国交通安全管理局提出测试申请。

目前，只有美国制造的特斯拉汽车才提供受监管的 FSD 功能，而特斯拉韩国 70% 以上的销量来自中国生产的汽车，包括 Model Y。

比亚迪的隐私政策被描述为允许将姓名、电子邮件地址、车辆识别号码和车牌号码传输到其位于中国深圳的总部。

从1月到9月，特斯拉在韩国注册了89148辆新车，同比增长104.4%；比亚迪的注册量增长了578.7%，达到20137辆。

发布于2026年10月8日晚上8:53（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月8日晚上10:26（韩国标准时间）

比亚迪韩国公司因涉嫌将客户数据传输至中国总部而受到质询

2025年11月6日，一辆特斯拉Model 3电动汽车在加利福尼亚州洛杉矶的高速公路上行驶，其完全自动驾驶服务已开启。（路透社-韩联社）

在周四韩国国会年度审计期间，特斯拉韩国公司因该系统缺乏韩国相关部门的官方安全评估而受到批评，此后，特斯拉韩国配备监督式完全自动驾驶（FSD）的车辆将面临更严格的审查。

目前约有 45,000 辆配备 FSD 的美国制造的特斯拉汽车在韩国道路上行驶，但该自动驾驶系统尚未经过政府安全测试。

在审核过程中，特斯拉韩国区总经理徐永德表示，公司计划寻求在韩国正式获得FSD（全自动驾驶）认证。他承认，公司尚未正式向国土交通部或韩国交通安全管理局（这两个机构是汽车安全认证的关键部门）提出测试申请。

徐先生表示：“我们没有向有关部门提出任何检测要求。如果政府建立起验证机制和渠道，我们将积极接受评估。”

目前，美国制造的特斯拉汽车可以在韩国使用受监管的FSD功能。特斯拉韩国超过70%的销量来自中国制造的车辆，包括Model Y，但FSD目前仅适用于美国制造的汽车。

Seo表示，根据韩美自由贸易协定，美国制造的特斯拉汽车可以使用该功能，而其他车辆，例如从中国进口的车型，则必须遵守韩国的法规。

据国土交通部称，由于目前尚无国际统一标准，因此无法阻止美国制造的特斯拉汽车使用FSD功能。

特斯拉的政策规定，驾驶员在使用 FSD 功能时发生的任何事故仍需承担责任。

比亚迪韩国Seal纯电动轿车 / 图片由比亚迪韩国提供

与此同时，比亚迪韩国公司也因涉嫌将韩国客户的个人数据转移到海外而受到抨击。

比亚迪韩国乘用车部门首席执行官赵仁哲出席了审计，回应了有关拒绝同意将其个人信息转移到海外的客户在购买车辆时可能会受到限制的指控。

主要反对党国民力量党议员金银惠表示，比亚迪的隐私政策允许将包括客户姓名、电子邮件地址、车辆识别号码和车牌号码在内的个人信息传输到比亚迪位于中国深圳的总部。

她播放了一段比亚迪零售店的录音，暗示拒绝同意转让的顾客可能会在购买车辆时遇到困难。

“我会再次调查此事，看看是否有办法（解决这个问题）。”赵说。

金还对中国的数据安全法表示担忧，并质疑比亚迪总部是否可以拒绝中国当局索取韩国客户信息的要求。

Cho没有给出直接回答，只是表示比亚迪韩国将“严格遵守韩国个人信息保护法”。

这两家电动汽车制造商的负责人还面临着这样的质询：这些汽车制造商是否已建立足够的安全相关基础设施来支持其在韩国的快速销售增长。

据韩国汽车进口商和经销商协会统计，今年1月至9月，特斯拉在韩国共注册了89148辆新车，同比增长104.4%。这一增长主要得益于中国制造的Model Y电动汽车销量激增，其极具竞争力的价格使其迅速走红。

比亚迪同期销量也同比增长578.7%，达到20137辆。考虑到该品牌乘用车于2025年1月才正式上市，且在本地销售历史不足两年，这一成绩尤为引人注目。

特斯拉和比亚迪是韩国销量增长最快的海外汽车品牌。