Now In Korea
'Good News' Blends Fact and Fiction in 1970 Yodogo Hijacking Tale
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Netflix film Good News, inspired by the 1970 Yodogo (요도호) hijacking, has been praised while renewing interest in the real incident. Much of the movie’s plot follows historical facts: Japanese Red Army (적군파) hijackers diverted a Tokyo–Fukuoka JAL flight toward Pyongyang, then unexpectedly landed at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport after negotiations, freeing passengers before proceeding to North Korea. Many vivid details in the film—hijackers’ stated aim to use North Korea as a military base for revolution, Japan’s Self-Defense Force jets blocking departure, and fake weapons carried by hijackers—are based on eyewitness accounts. Controllers at Gimpo allegedly intercepted communications to lure the plane to Seoul, an episode mirrored in the film. However, several characters and scenes are fictionalized: key government figures (e.g., the Central Intelligence chief) are dramatized or composite characters, some portrayals differ from the real officials’ personalities, and certain plot points (like a female second-in-command among the hijackers) are inaccurate. Minor historical errors and anachronisms appear, such as timeline issues around manga references. Overall, the movie mixes faithful historical reconstruction with creative invention for dramatic effect.
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