South Korea extradites suspect in New Zealand ‘suitcase’ murders

A 42-year-old woman suspected of murdering two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand last August has been extradited by South Korea.

The woman was handed over to officials from New Zealand at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Monday evening, along with evidence, according to the South Korean Justice Ministry.

The plane carrying the suspect landed in Auckland on Tuesday. The woman will be brought before a judge on Wednesday on charges of two counts of murder, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.

The suspect, who is believed to have gone to South Korea in 2018, is a New Zealander who once held South Korean citizenship.

The remains of two children, aged between five and 10, were discovered on August 11

The remains of two children, aged between five and 10, were discovered on August 11.

in suitcases bought at a clearance auction in New Zealand. The suitcases had been stored in a warehouse for three to four years prior to that, according to police.

New Zealand police had been looking for the woman on the assumption that she was the children’s mother, according to police in Seoul.

She was arrested in South Korea in the south-eastern coastal city of Ulsan in September, after New Zealand police requested an international arrest warrant be issued for the suspect.