Netflix 'Good News' Is This Real? 🤯 A Perfect Comparison of the 'Yodo-go Incident' That Created a Fake Pyongyang (ft. Chilling Synchronicity)
Folks! Folks! 🤯 Have you seen the Netflix movie <Good News>? The combination of actors Seol Kyung-gu, Ryu Seung-bum, and Hong Kyung already had high expectations, but after watching it, I burst out laughing at the absurd story that made me wonder, "Is this for real?"
But... did you know that this is based on a true story? 😲
The truth of 'that day' is more cinematic than fiction, and even absurd! Here's a complete comparison of <Good News> and the real 'Yodo-go Incident'!
In 1970, nine Japanese Red Army students hijacked a Japan Airlines passenger plane (JAL Flight 351, commonly known as 'Yodo-go') demanding to go to Pyongyang. But somehow, this plane landed at 'Gimpo Airport' instead of Pyongyang, and the South Korean government launched an outrageous operation to disguise Gimpo Airport as 'fake Pyongyang'.
The Netflix movie <Good News> is a black comedy based on this first hijacking incident in Japanese history, the 'Yodo-go Incident'. "No way, could that really happen?" Just how much of those scenes were true?
1. Q. Were the absurd scenes in the movie really true? 😲
A. Yes... surprisingly, a significant portion is true! 😅 I thought director Byun Sung-hyun had adapted it for comedy, but reality was even more comical.
- Blocking the runway with fighter jets? -> YES!
- The hijackers originally wanted to go to Cuba, but the captain, with ingenuity, used 'fuel shortage' as an excuse to land at Fukuoka Airport. At this time, the Japanese government's clumsy response of blocking the runway with fighter jets only provoked the hijackers. (The 'double parking' scene in the movie!)
- Handing over a middle school geography atlas (?)? -> YES!
- When the hijackers insisted on going to Pyongyang, the Japanese government handed them 'a map of the Korean Peninsula from a middle school textbook' instead of a proper aviation map. (After watching the movie, I thought 'no way...', but it was true!)
- Disguising Gimpo Airport as 'fake Pyongyang'? -> YES!
- This operation was carried out under the orders of then-President Park Chung-hee and Kim Kye-won, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. South Korean soldiers were dressed in North Korean military uniforms, and 'Welcome to Pyongyang' banners were hung at the airport, an earnest (?) attempt at deception.
- North Korean soldier cosplay failure? -> YES!
- Like in the movie, the deception operation failed futilely. It was exposed when the hijackers spotted 'an American civilian aircraft' at Gimpo Airport. (Perhaps this is where the 'Black Soviet soldier' gag in the movie came from. ㅋㅋㅋ)
- North Korea firing anti-aircraft guns? -> YES!
- When the plane flew towards Gimpo, North Korea actually fired anti-aircraft guns as a threat. The tension-filled scene in the movie was based on a true story.
2. Cinematic Fiction vs. Real Incident (Differences?)
Of course, not every scene is true to life.
- Lieutenant Seo Go-myung (Hong Kyung) infiltrating the plane & negotiating? -> NO! (Cinematic device)
- The real person who was the motif for Lieutenant Seo Go-myung in the movie was Air Force Lieutenant Chae Hee-seok. He only performed the 'communication hijacking' mission, tricking the hijackers through emergency communication to guide the plane to Gimpo. He did not physically enter the plane.
- (Bitter Reality) After this incident, Lieutenant Chae Hee-seok reportedly led a tragic life, with his military record erased and pressure to discharge as the government tried to hide its involvement. 😥
- Hijackers' weapons? -> Mostly fakes! (Adapted in the movie)
- Upon arrival in Pyongyang, it was confirmed that most of the guns and bombs held by the hijackers were fakes (replicas)였다고 합니다. In the movie, for tension, it was adapted that only the leader's Japanese sword was real.
3. So, What Was the Outcome? (Japanese Vice Minister Becomes Hero, Hijackers Go North)
Similar to the movie, in the real incident, Japanese Vice Minister of Transport 'Yamamura Shinjiro' offered to become a hostage himself in exchange for the passengers' release. Ultimately, most of the passengers and crew were released, and the plane carrying Vice Minister Yamamura headed to Pyongyang.
- 9 Hijackers: Granted asylum in North Korea and treated as heroes. (Some later returned to Japan)
- Vice Minister Yamamura & Pilot: Safely returned to Japan and hailed as 'national heroes'. (Vice Minister Yamamura later became a politician)
4. Director Byun Sung-hyun's 'Black Comedy' Was a Hit!
<Good News> is a black comedy based on this incredible true story, adding director Byun Sung-hyun's unique stylish direction and sharp satire.
It humorously yet bitterly critiques all parties involved in that era—the clumsiness of South Korea during the military dictatorship, the incompetence of the Japanese government, and the sloppiness of the Red Army. (Especially the performances of numerous cameo actors and the First Lady's eccentricities played by actress Jeon Do-yeon were points of laughter!)
It's truly a real story more cinematic than any film, isn't it? <Good News> reinterprets this astonishing history with director Byun Sung-hyun's distinct style, making it a captivating work that even raises questions about 'what is truth'.
What did you think of <Good News>? Now that you know it's a true story, which scene do you remember most vividly? 🤔
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