South Korean woman arrested for murder of child whose body was found in suitcase in New Zealand

South Korean police on Thursday arrested a 42-year-old woman charged with murdering two children. new zealand 2018.

Authorities said she was “hidden in an apartment” in Ulsan, South Korea. However, her identity has not been released by New Zealand or South Korean police.

The two children allegedly killed were a girl and a boy born around 2009 and 2012, local media reported.

South Korean police released a statement confirming the details of the arrest. “Police arrested a suspect at an apartment in Ulsan on Thursday.

Seoul’s National Police Agency said the suspect “was accused by New Zealand police of murdering two children aged 7 and 10 in the Auckland area around 2018.”

“It turned out that she had arrived Korea After the crime, he has been in hiding ever since,” the statement said.

The suspect was arrested in Ulsan around 1 a.m. Korean time. “I didn’t,” the woman told reporters gathered outside while being transported to Seoul by police, according to Yonhap news agency. Her head was covered and her face was hidden from the media.

New Zealand police have also issued a statement that they have sought an arrest warrant for the woman under an extradition treaty with South Korea and have applied for extradition to New Zealand.

New Zealand Criminal Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaerua said, “The ability to detain someone abroad in such a short period of time was all due to the support of the South Korean authorities and the (New Zealand) police Interpol. It was coordinated by the staff,” he said. .

Authorities said the woman will remain in custody until the extradition process is completed.

South Korean authorities confirmed last month that the suspect was born in South Korea and long ago obtained New Zealand citizenship.

The Seoul High Court now has two months to decide whether to extradite the woman to New Zealand. NZ Herald report.