New Zealand ‘suitcase’ children murder case: Hakyung Lee is unmasked as the South Korean mother charged with killing her two children

A mother accused of killing her two children and putting their bodies in suitcases has been identified for the first time.

Hakyung Lee, 42, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder after the bodies were found in suitcases in an abandoned warehouse in Auckland, New Zealand, last August.

The unit was auctioned off to a family who made the gruesome discovery when they opened the unit last year.

Ms Lee appeared in court in April, where she insisted: ‘I didn’t do it, it’s the truth’.

The gruesome discovery of the boy and girl, believed to be between the ages of five and 10 when they died four years before they were found in Auckland on August 11, has made headlines worldwide

An attempt to remove her name had previously been rejected by the Supreme Court, but the decision was appealed.

The Court of Appeal also upheld the decision on Wednesday, meaning her name could be published by the media.

Lee’s attorney Chris Wilkinson-Smith had argued that publishing her name would put her safety at risk.

Justice Anne Hinton noted in her judgment that there must be a “real and noticeable” risk to the mother’s safety.

Ms Lee has been in custody since she was extradited from South Korea to New Zealand late last year following the gruesome discovery of her children’s remains.

“Though it sounds harsh, that’s the relevant test,” she wrote.

“I have not received any evidence proving that [the defendant] would likely be seriously compromised by the publication of her name or that her safety would be compromised.”

At the time the suitcases were found, police said the children were between the ages of five and 10.

Their bodies would have been in the trunks for years before they were discovered.

Ms Lee has pleaded not guilty and will face trial in April 2024.