There real story is - the release of prisoners would have never happened today as they did back then. Johnson signed a letter if apology and as the guys were coming home he told the nation the letter was bull and we got our guys back. If you visit North Korea you can tour the ship and see the letter. And no, I've never been; I spent much of my military time scouring recon satellite film of the North, so I don't think going there would be wise.
I remember, it was a big deal at the time. The kept and tortured the crew for almost a year before being released. It would have been in the news even more but the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam happened a few days later.