A woman accused of murdering her two children and hiding their remains in suitcases is being tried in New Zealand, in a high-profile case that has shocked the country. Hakyung Lee, who was extradited from South Korea to New Zealand in November 2022, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder. The remains of her children were discovered in suitcases by a family who had purchased the contents of an abandoned storage unit at an auction in Auckland. The bodies were believed to have been stored there for several years. The trial opened on Monday and is expected to last up to four weeks, with the prosecution set to present its arguments on Tuesday. Given the public attention the case has received, the judge reminded the jury that Ms Lee's guilt or innocence must be based on the facts presented. Justice Geoffrey Venning indicated that the case would also address Ms Lee's mental state at the time of the children's deaths. Ms Lee, 44, will represent herself in court while being assisted by court-appointed lawyers. She remained silent when asked to enter a plea on the first day of the trial. A New Zealand national originally from South Korea, Ms Lee lived in Auckland for several years before returning to South Korea in 2018 after the death of the children's father due to cancer in 2017. The two children died sometime after their father's passing, though exact dates remain unclear. Their remains were discovered in August 2022 after a family bought a trailer filled with goods, including the suitcases, during an online auction aimed at clearing out an abandoned storage unit. Police confirmed that the buyers had no connection to the children's deaths. Ms Lee was arrested in Ulsan, South Korea in September 2022 following a global red notice from Interpol.