Woman arrested in South Korea after the alleged murder of her two children in New Zealand

The mother of two children, whose remains were discovered in bags in New Zealand last month, has reportedly been detained by South Korean authorities.

Key Highlights

• A month after human remains were found in a storage container, the woman was arrested.
• The 42-year-old will continue to be detained as authorities seek to have her extradited to New Zealand.
• After reportedly murdering the children in Auckland in 2018, the woman is accused of escaping to South Korea.
• Police from New Zealand had earlier informed their authorities in South Korea that the mother might be living there.

According to officials, the mother is accused of leaving Auckland in 2018 and traveling to South Korea after killing her then-7-year-old and 10-year-old children.

The Korean National Police Agency said the woman—who vigorously rejected the murder accusations—was taken into custody when Interpol, the international police organization, issued a red alert.

The woman claimed innocence to the media as she was led away from the Ulsan, South Korea, police station.

Following New Zealand’s request for her extradition, South Korean authorities said they had detained the woman in Ulsan based on a court order from their country.

The woman is still in South Korea and will be evaluated by the Seoul High Court to determine whether or not she has to be extradited, according to Park Seung-hoon, a representative of the National Police Agency. The review must take place within two months, added Mr. Park.

The bodies were discovered last month when a New Zealand family purchased abandoned items, including two suitcases, from a storage facility in Auckland through an online auction. Police said that the New Zealand family was not related to the deaths. The children had been dead for several years and the suitcases had been in storage for at least three or four years.

Police in South Korea claim that the woman was born in South Korea before relocating to New Zealand, where she obtained citizenship. According to immigration records, she went back to South Korea in 2018.

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