South Korea steps closer to extraditing suspect in New Zealand suitcase murder case

SEOUL: A court in Seoul on Friday approved New Zealand's request for the extradition of a mother suspected of murdering two children whose bodies were discovered in suitcases in Auckland, leaving South Korea's justice minister to make the final decision.

The 42-year-old Korean born woman, whose name was withheld, is suspected of fleeing to South Korea in 2018 after killing her children, aged 7 and 10.

She denied the murder allegations when she was arrested in September in the South Korean city of Ulsan after global police agency Interpol issued a red notice.

Though the suspected murder happened four years ago, New Zealand police only launched a homicide inquiry in August after the discovery of the children's remains by a family checking a storage locker they had purchased.

An official at the Seoul High Court confirmed that approval had been given for her extradition. According to Yonhap news agency the court gave its assent after the woman agreed to go back to New Zealand to face charges.

It was unclear when the justice minister would deliver the final decision on her extradition, and the ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.