In 1971, a domestic Korean Air Lines passenger flight between Gangneung and Seoul was hijacked by a man threatening to blow up the plane unless they rerouted to North Korea. The terrifying one-hour situation was heavily followed by Korean and international media, resulting in changes in South Korea’s aviation policies.

Director Kim Sung-han was inspired to tell this story as it was part of Korea’s history.

In his directorial debut Hijack 1971, out in select U.S. and Canadian theaters on July 5, North Korean sympathizer Yong-dae (Yeo Jin-goo) hijacks a domestic plane carrying 51 passengers. He demands that the pilots, Tae-in (Ha Jung-woo) and Gyu-sik (Sung Dong-il), redirect their flight toward North Korea — or else Yong-dae will blow the plane (including himself) up.

The real-life incident made headlines as the hijacker, Kim Sang-tae, planned on defecting to North Korea and “gifting” the South Korean plane and passengers to the North Korean regime. While the film takes several creative liberties, it closely captures the real-life terror that the pilot, crew, and passengers went through. It also highlights the pilots’ bravery throughout the situation.

Hijack 1971 marks the directorial debut of Kim, who previously served as the assistant director on the 2019 film Ashfall. Written by Kim Kyung-chan (Hit and Run Squad), the film premiered in Korea on June 21, selling over one million tickets domestically.

The film also stars Chae Soo-bin as the flight attendant and is produced by Jung Won-chan and Sony Pictures International Productions.

Hijack 1971 premieres on July 5 in 60 North American theaters.