South Korea arrests woman over dead children in suitcases in New Zealand

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean police said Thursday they have arrested a woman accused of murdering her two children, whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand last month.

The 42-year-old -- reportedly a South Korean-born New Zealand national -- was arrested in the southeastern city of Ulsan and will be transferred to the capital Seoul to face extradition proceedings, police said.

"Police arrested the suspect at an apartment in Ulsan on Thursday following a stakeout with tips on her whereabouts and CCTV footage," South Korea's National Police Agency said in a statement.

"The suspect is accused by the New Zealand police of having murdered her two children -- aged seven and 10 at the time -- in around 2018 in the Auckland area."

"She's been found to have arrived in South Korea after the crime and has been in hiding ever since," it added.

Images in local media showed the woman, who has not been identified by police in South Korea or New Zealand, being led out of the Ulsan police station by plainclothed investigators, covering her head with a large brown coat.

The woman, who was wearing ripped jeans and sandals, was asked by local media whether she would confess to the killings.

"I didn't do it," the woman said repeatedly, as she was led away and put into a police vehicle.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said the woman is a South Korean-born New Zealand citizen.

It added that she started living in an acquaintance's apartment in Ulsan this year, having earlier stayed in Seoul.

"Police plan to transfer the woman to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in preparation for an extradition screening by the Seoul High Court," Yonhap said.

Grisly discovery

The remains of the two children were discovered in August after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer-load of items -- including the suitcases -- at an auction for abandoned goods near Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city.

New Zealand police have said the bodies were likely to have been in storage for several years, which has complicated the investigation.

Authorities have repeatedly stressed that the family who found the bodies were not connected to the homicide, and were being given support to help deal with the trauma.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Fa'amanuia Vaaelua in Auckland said Thursday that the case was "a very challenging investigation". 

"To have someone in custody overseas within such a short period of time has all been down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the coordination by our New Zealand Police Interpol staff," the detective said.