The
wife of a runaway murder suspect claims to have no knowledge of her husband’s alleged act, Korean police said Thursday, after hours of interrogation late Wednesday night.
 | (Yonhap)The 32-year-old woman, surnamed Chung, was taken into police custody upon her return from Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday afternoon with her two children. She is accused of complicity in three counts of murder.
Her husband, only identified by his surname Kim, remains under arrest in New Zealand for a historic theft. South Korean authorities are taking steps to extradite him.
Kim and Chung flew to the country on Oct. 23, two days after the husband allegedly killed his mother, stepfather and half brother. Kim, a Korean national, is a New Zealand resident.
According to Korean police, Chung accompanied Kim to Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, where he allegedly killed his stepfather and put his body in the trunk of a vehicle in a condominium parking lot.
Local media reported the couple, neither with a stable job, relied on Kim’s mother financially. Police said his motive remains unclear.
Auckland’s North Short District Court extended the detention of Kim on Wednesday after a formal request from South Korea not to release him.
Kim reportedly said through his attorney that he would comply with the extradition process.
Seoul and Auckland signed an extradition treaty in 2001.
Kim entered a guilty plea regarding his theft charge. He is accused of stealing a refrigerator, microwave and washing machine valued at 4,100 New Zealand dollars ($2,800) from an apartment in 2015, local news outlets reported.
By Kim Da-sol (
[email protected])
