South Korea orders extradition of woman arrested over suitcase bodies, reports

South Korea’s justice minister has ordered https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300738608/woman-arrested-in-korea-over-bodies-in-suitcases-could-soon-be-in-nz-experts-say”>the woman being held in connection to the discovery of the remains of two children found in a suitcase in Auckland to be sent back to New Zealand.

South Korea has been holding the 42-year-old since September 15 when she was https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300667885/woman-sought-over-children-whose-bodies-were-found-in-suitcases-believed-to-be-in-south-korea-potential-mother?rm=a”>arrested in Ulsan, South Korea after the remains of a https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300665224/two-dead-children-were-in-auckland-storage-unit-for-a-number-of-years”>boy and a girl were found in suitcases at a south Auckland property.

On Monday, the country’s justice minister Han Dong-hoon ordered the woman be returned to New Zealand.

https://www.moj.go.kr/moj_eng/1782/subview.do?enc=Zm5jdDF8QEB8JTJGYmJzJTJGbW9qX2VuZyUyRjQ5JTJGNTY0ODEwJTJGYXJ0Y2xWaWV3LmRvJTNG”>A statement on South Korea’s Ministry of Justice website said the woman will be handed over to New Zealand police within 30 days.

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* https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300738608/woman-arrested-in-korea-over-bodies-in-suitcases-could-soon-be-in-nz-experts-say?rm=a”>Woman arrested in Korea over bodies in suitcases could soon be in NZ, experts say

Articles seized from the suspect when she was arrested were also ordered to be surrendered.

The remains of the two children were found by the winners of a storage unit auction in Auckland on August 11.

The residents bought the belongings from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300663090/human-remains-came-from-safe-store-papatoetoe-after-storage-unit-auction?rm=a”>an online storage unit auction held by SafeStore Papatoetoe.

An extradition process can often take years, with common delays including the subject exhausting every opportunity to appeal while intergovernmental politics can also get in the way.

International law expert https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300738608/woman-arrested-in-korea-over-bodies-in-suitcases-could-soon-be-in-nz-experts-say”>Dr Neil Boister said if the woman had consented to the extradition, she was unlikely to appeal and would therefore be back in New Zealand faster.

“It’s really a question of whether there is some unknown [to us] wrinkle to her case that they might consider a reason to delay or say no, but really it doesn’t look that way currently,” Boister said.

The University of Canterbury academic said it was likely the woman didn’t have the money or power in South Korea, unlike other previous extraditions of prominent people, to really slow the process down.

Boister said the woman’s handover would most likely happen between the countries at Incheon Airport, where Air NZ flies directly to, to avoid messy transit arrangements.