South Korea has extradited to New Zealand a woman suspected in the deaths of two children whose remains were found in suitcases, South Korea’s justice ministry said on Tuesday (11.29.2022).
A 42-year-old New Zealand woman of Korean descent was handed over to New Zealand authorities on Monday night along with evidence in the case, the ministry said in a statement.
“We hope the facts of this case, which has received global attention, will be reviewed in a rigorous and fair judicial process in New Zealand,” he added.
South Korean police arrested the woman at the port of Ulsan in September, weeks after New Zealand authorities discovered the remains of the two children, aged between five and 10.
Pictures from local press showed the woman, identified by South Korean police only by her last name Lee, leaving the Ulsan police station with guards covering her head with a coat.
“I didn’t do it”
Asked by reporters if she would admit to killing the children, the woman repeated “I didn’t do it” as she was led away in a police vehicle.
The bodies were discovered after a family bought a trailer full of belongings, including suitcases, at a New Zealand abandoned property auction.
New Zealand police have said the bodies may have been in storage for years, complicating the investigation.
Authorities have insisted that the family that found the bodies is not connected to the murder and that they are receiving support to deal with the trauma.
After receiving a formal extradition request from New Zealand, South Korea’s justice ministry said it would do everything possible to transfer the woman “in accordance with the principles of the law”.
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