New Zealand police investigators work at a scene in Auckland on Aug. 11, 2022, after bodies were discovered in suitcases. . Photo: VCG

A woman who is believed to be related to two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand last week is in South Korea, Seoul police told AFP on Monday.

Last week, New Zealand police said they had discovered the remains of two children, who are thought to have been between 5 and 10 years old when they died, in suitcases.

The bodies were discovered after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer-load of items - including the suitcases - at an auction for abandoned goods.

New Zealand police have said the ­bodies were likely to have been in ­storage for several years, which has complicated the investigation into the crime.

Police said on Monday that a woman of South Korean descent, who is believed to be related to the children, is currently in South Korea.

"We confirm that she is in South ­Korea, and that she is a New Zealand national of Korean descent," an official at the Korean National Police Agency told AFP.

She arrived in South Korea in 2018 and had no record of leaving the country since that year, he added.

"New Zealand police are leading this investigation and we intend to cooperate at their request," the official said.

Police have been checking hours of CCTV footage, but key moments could have already been erased due to the delay between when the victims died and the discovery of the bodies.

Both the storage unit and property where the suitcases were taken have been thoroughly examined by forensic experts.

Authorities in New Zealand reiterated last week that the family who found the bodies were not connected to the homicide.