Hakyung Lee admitted killing the children, aged eight and six, but had pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder on the grounds of insanity. She chose to represent herself throughout the trial, assisted by two lawyers.

The court heard Lee gave the children an overdose of prescription medicine in 2018 before wrapping their bodies in plastic bags and putting them in the suitcases, New Zealand media said.

Their father had died of cancer in late 2017.

Lee stood with her head bowed and showed no reaction as the jury delivered their unanimous verdict. Neither the prosecution or defence spoke to the media as they left the court, RNZ reported.

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The children s remains were discovered in 2022 by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had bought at an online auction.

New Zealand police launched a murder investigation and Lee, who had moved to South Korea in 2018, was extradited to face trial in November 2022.