AUCKLAND, Newโ Zealand – A โคSouth Korean woman is standing โฃtrial in Newโข Zealandโฃ accused in the deaths of her two young children, whose remains were discovered inside suitcases abandoned at an Auckland โstorage facility in 2022. Lee Hak-yung, 42, appeared in court monday and entered a not guilty plea by remaining silent when asked โฃfor her response by the judge.โค
The case, which has gripped New Zealand andโ South Korea,โข centers around the remains of Lee’s children, aged sevenโค and ten, who were found โขyears after they disappeared. Lee had โreportedly returned to South Korea โin 2018 โขand lived under โan assumed identity before being arrested in Ulsan โinโค September 2022 following an Interpol red notice. โฃShe wasโฃ later extradited toโ New Zealand two months later. The trial is expected to shed light on โthe circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths and Lee’sโข alleged involvement, with the outcome carrying notable weight for bothโค families and the wider community. โLee is representing herself, with two lawyersโ appointed โby the court asโข standby counsel.
The โchildren’s remains lay undiscovered โfor years until the contents of aโ storage locker in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, were sold at auction.โค Unsuspecting buyers broughtโ the suitcases home and found the bodies โwrapped and hidden inside. Lee was arrested in Ulsan in โคSeptember โ2022 after Interpol issued a red notice and was extradited to New Zealand two months later at the request of the police.โ
At Monday’s hearing, local media reported that Lee remained silent when asked by the judge how she would plead,โข withโข her silenceโฃ ultimately recorded as a “not guilty” plea.
