A trial opened in New Zealand on Monday for a woman accused of murdering her two children and hiding their remains in suitcases that were later found by people who bought the items at an auction.
Hakyung Lee, 44, who was extradited from South Korea to New Zealand in November 2022, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder, New Zealand authorities said. The case, described in local reporting as a "suitcase murder," has drawn widespread attention in the country.
The remains of the two children were discovered in August 2022 after a family purchased a trailer-load of goods, including suitcases, that formed part of an effort to clear abandoned items from a storage unit in Auckland. Police said the buyers had no connection to the deaths. The bodies were believed to have been stored for several years, and reports say the children were aged between six and 10 at the time of their deaths. Their identities have not been publicly released following suppression orders sought by members of their extended family.
According to South Korean police, the children's father died of cancer in 2017. The children are believed to have died sometime after that, although the precise dates of death have not been established publicly. Ms. Lee is a New Zealand national who was born in South Korea and had been living in Auckland for several years at the time the alleged offences occurred.
Ms. Lee left New Zealand for South Korea in 2018. She was arrested in Ulsan, South Korea, in September 2022 after Interpol issued a global red notice. New Zealand authorities sought her extradition, and she was returned to New Zealand in November 2022 to face charges.
Court proceedings are under way in New Zealand, where Ms. Lee has entered not guilty pleas to two counts of murder. Police have provided limited public detail about the investigation, citing ongoing legal processes and suppression orders that protect the identity of the deceased children. Prosecutors will be required to present evidence to support the charges, and the defence has the opportunity to challenge that evidence in court.
The discovery of the remains through the purchase of items from an auctioned storage unit prompted public shock and intensified scrutiny of the circumstances that allowed the suitcases to remain undiscovered for years. Authorities have said they do not believe the buyers who found the suitcases were connected to the deaths.
As the trial proceeds, New Zealand courts will determine whether the prosecution can prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Further details are expected to emerge through evidence presented at trial, subject to the suppression orders in place to protect the identities of the victims and the integrity of the legal process.