A trial has opened in New Zealand for a woman accused of murdering her two children and concealing their remains in suitcases that were later found by people who bought the items at an auction.
Hakyung Lee, 44, a New Zealand national born in South Korea, pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder when proceedings began. She was extradited from South Korea to New Zealand in November 2022 after being arrested in Ulsan in September 2022 following an Interpol red notice.
The remains of the two children were discovered in August 2022 by a family that had purchased a trailer-load of goods, including suitcases, in an online auction. Local media reported the sale was part of an effort to clear abandoned items from a storage unit in Auckland. Police have said the buyers had no connection to the deaths.
New Zealand authorities said the bodies appeared to have been stored for several years. Reports differ on the ages of the children, placing them between six and 10 years old at the time of their deaths. The children's father died of cancer in 2017, and police have said the children died sometime after his death, but the exact timing has not been established publicly.
Lee has lived in Auckland for several years, according to New Zealand media reports. She returned to South Korea in 2018, and was located there after New Zealand authorities sought her arrest. Her arrest in September 2022 and subsequent extradition followed international co‑operation between New Zealand and South Korean authorities.
The identities of the children have not been released. Suppression orders have been granted at the request of members of their extended family to withhold identifying information. New Zealand police have said they continue to treat the matter as a homicide investigation while the criminal proceedings are under way.
Court proceedings will examine evidence and testimony relating to the deaths and the period during which the remains were believed to have been kept. Prosecutors will present their case during the trial; Lee has entered a plea of not guilty and is entitled to contest the charges under New Zealand law.
The case drew national attention when the remains were found, prompting questions about how the children’s deaths went undetected for years and how their belongings came to be sold at auction. Authorities have said investigations into the circumstances of the deaths and the role, if any, of other parties in the disposal of the children’s belongings remain ongoing.
The trial is being closely followed in New Zealand. Further court dates and procedural developments are expected as both the Crown and defence present evidence and legal arguments.