The mother of two children found dead in suitcases left at a New Zealand storage facility thought killing them was "morally right", according to an expert’s testimony.
However, the same expert later told the court she had not been given all the information she needed to make an accurate finding.
Warning: This article contains details which may be distressing for some readers.
Hakyung Lee has been charged with murdering her children, eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo, sometime in 2018.
She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
The trial has now concluded its second week — with the defence on Thursday calling its first and only witness.
The jury this week heard more details about Ms Lee’s mental health issues following the death of her husband, Ian Jo, from cancer.
It also heard from police involved in her arrest and extradition from South Korea, and a friend who knew Ms Lee during Jo's cancer treatment.
Defence expert says she was put under 'immense pressure' to get report out
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Yvette Kelly was the defence’s only witness, taking the jury through a report discussing Ms Lee’s sanity, first appearing in court on Thursday.
Dr Kelly's evidence continued into Friday when she was pressed further about the timing of Ms Lee's actions before and after the children's deaths.
She said she had not been made aware of all information.
"I'm curious as to why I'm getting all of this so late in the piece after my report had been written," she said.
"After I was put under immense pressure to put my report in much earlier than the other report writers.
"It would be very nice … if I actually had a blow by blow of when all these things happened and that would be immensely helpful for me to be able to make an assessment.
She was asked whether the timing of events would affect her assessment of Ms Lee's criminal responsibility.
"I'm quite confident she had a disease of the mind, but in terms of moral wrongfulness, it could [affect it]," she told the court.
"I feel like I really need to see the timeline to be able to give a clear opinion about that."
On Thursday, she said: "I'm quite confident she had a disease of the mind, but in terms of moral wrongfulness, it could [affect it].
"I feel like I really need to see the timeline to be able to give a clear opinion about that."
She said she had met with Ms Lee several times in the lead up to the trial.
"People can know that something is against the law but feel that it is the right course of action morally and ethically.
"Due to her depression, [Ms Lee] wanted to suicide and believed her children would suffer a fate worse than death if they had to live without both their parents, or if they discovered her dead body.
"She was very concerned she would spontaneously suicide, and that the children would find her."
Dr Kelly added Ms Lee’s "delusional beliefs" left her unable to ask for help or believing she could be helped.
"She subsequently felt the morally right thing to do was to kill the children before she suicided … believing the children would be reunited with their father in death," Dr Kelly said.
"I’m providing an opinion that Ms Lee meets criteria to be found not criminally responsible on account of insanity."
She noted Ms Lee had referred to the children’s deaths as a suicide in diary entries.
She also gave more details about Ms Lee’s background, stating she felt her father’s death when she was 18 years old was her fault, but could not explain why.
She said Ms Lee also felt responsible for her son, Minu, being born with a cleft palate, and her husband’s death.
Following Ian Jo’s death, according to Dr Kelly, Ms Lee used "denial and avoidance defence mechanisms" to avoid dealing with the situation.
"These worked well for her in the short term … [but] when faced with the overt evidence of her husband’s death, these mechanisms were no longer effective," she said.
"Her inability to suicide after several attempts appears to have led to a loss of motivation to complete this act, alongside a belief that she was such a failure that she was unable to complete suicide."
However, Crown prosecutor Natalie Walker pressed Dr Kelly on Ms Lee telling acquaintances about her husband’s death and making arrangements for his burial.
She presented evidence of Ms Lee returning from an initial trip to Seoul and staying in New Zealand for three months before leaving for the Gold Coast in Australia.
Ms Walker also pressed Dr Kelly on evidence of Ms Lee interacting with others, buying fast food and other spending as evidence of her not being "in psychological denial".
Ms Walker noted Ms Lee had applied for a driver’s licence after changing her name in 2018, asking Dr Kelly if that made her "reassess" her conclusions.
Nightmares, panic attacks in South Korean hospital
Ms Lee moved to South Korea following the children’s deaths in 2018, a move which Dr Kelly said did not help her mental state.
In 2022, Ms Lee said she began speaking to a man online who then stalked and assaulted her.
Along with the death of her husband, father, and children, the incident triggered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Dr Kelly told the court.
"During her time in Korea, she remained isolated and without [an] occupation," she said.
"More recently Ms Lee has continued to experience symptoms of a major depressive disorder with psychotic features.
"This has been intermittently treated, and when treated her symptoms of PTSD become more apparent.”
That same year, Ms Lee was admitted to a South Korean hospital, where she was diagnosed with a depressive disorder.
According to a report from the hospital, outlined to the court by Dr Kelly, Ms Lee suffered nightmares, panic attacks, and had stopped eating.
She allegedly made several suicide attempts, which ultimately led to her admission to hospital.
"She didn’t appear to be looking after herself," Dr Kelly said.
"Her hair was such a mess that they were cutting bits out [because] it was all tangled.
"During that time, nobody believed she was suffering from any delusions or hallucinations."
Personality testing done by the hospital showed Ms Lee had "immature and dependant traits", according to Dr Kelly.
It was allegedly during her stay in hospital payments to the storage facility lapsed — eventually triggering the discovery of the children’s bodies.
'I know who did it, but it does not matter'
On Tuesday, jurors heard from Detective Sergeant Sung Kyu Hwang, who escorted Ms Lee after she was arrested and extradited from South Korea in 2022.
Mr Hwang told the court he met Ms Lee at the airport gate, before they boarded a plane back to New Zealand.
"I could see her panicking, and breathing with a paper bag on her mouth," he said.
"I saw a doctor assisting her to calm her down, and I saw Ms Lee taking her medication."
Ms Lee told Mr Hwang she was concerned about media coverage on her arrival to New Zealand, and was reassured steps would be taken so she was not exposed to reporters.
Detective Sergeant Hwang read Ms Lee her rights on the plane in both Korean and English.
Neither of them slept on the 11-hour flight back to Auckland.
Sat at the very back of the plane, Ms Lee told Mr Hwang she had "so many questions".
"I was accused of something that I have not done," Ms Lee allegedly told him during the flight.
"Nobody in Korea has told me about the details of the case, except that my children have been murdered and I am being accused of murdering those children."
She said she had told Korean authorities she wanted to return to New Zealand as soon as possible and hold a funeral for the children.
Crown prosecutor Natalie Walker clarified Ms Lee was travelling back in Mr Hwang's custody under an arrest warrant, rather than volunteering to return.
"I know who did it, but it does not matter," she said, according to Mr Hwang’s testimony.
"Proving innocence does not change anything, whether I get found guilty or not does not change anything.
"I just want to say that I did not do it, and I want to die in New Zealand along where my husband and children are."
Ms Lee told him her children were in an institution or an orphanage in New Zealand, Detective Sergeant Hwang said.
"Why would I reveal myself to the police if I killed my children?" she asked him.
Detective Sergeant Hwang had also examined a Sony laptop found in the same storage unit as the children's remains.
He said he found a number of internet searches about hotels and flights to the Gold Coast, twice to Korea and to Taupo, and noted searches relating to children were at a minimum.
Ms Lee's stand-by Counsel Chris Wilkinson-Smith cross examined Mr Hwang, asking more about the laptop and in particular Ms Lee's searches for renting storage.
Mr Wilkinson-Smith took Mr Hwang through a record where Ms Lee had searched for storage facilities in November 2017.
Friend didn't think accused had mental health problems
Jurors heard from a friend of Ms Lee, whose evidence was read by Crown prosecutor Natalie Walker.
In the statement, Eun Kyung Christine Cho said she was one of Ms Lee's close friends, with whom she kept in regular contact, before Ms Cho moved to Australia.
She said the friendship was perfectly normal, talking every few months on a messaging platform and catching up with other friends.
Ms Cho said she did not think Ms Lee had any problems with her mental health.
"From what I know, Ji Eun did not suffer from any mental health issues," she said. "She was always bright, smiley and joking around, just like any other normal person."
Ms Lee did not reveal to Ms Cho her husband Ian Jo was sick with cancer, she said.
When Ms Cho found out Ms Lee's husband had died, she messaged her hoping to console her friend.
"You know that my heart is always with you right?" she wrote.
"My dear sister, my heart aches when I think of your pain. Text me whenever you want to talk, I'll call you right away."
According to Dr Kelly, Ms Lee’s condition further deteriorated while in custody.
"She’s essentially put herself into solitary confinement … she’s really seeing very few people and is alone all the time," she told the court.
The jury on Friday heard from another psychological expert, with the trial expected to last another week.
