The disappearance of two young sisters in Auckland, New Zealand, went unnoticed by authorities for years due to systemic failures within the Ministry of Education. Yuna and Minu Jo, aged eight and six, were ultimately found dead in suitcases stored in a South Auckland facility four years after their mother, Hakyung Lee, murdered them in 2018.
Systemic Failures Revealed
Ministry documents released under the Official Information Act reveal that the girls’ absences from Papatoetoe South School were not properly flagged. According to protocol, the Ministry’s ENROL system should have prompted the school to submit a Non-Enrolment form within 20 school days of a student’s withdrawal, and a follow-up within five school days if no form was received. However, the system failed to initiate this process.
The school stated it followed procedures after 20 days of unexplained absence, attempting to locate the children independently, but was unsuccessful. Deputy Secretary Helen Hurst confirmed that issues within the system contributed to the significant delay – years rather than months – before the case reached attendance services in 2020.
Delayed Response and Ongoing Reforms
The Ministry of Education was not informed when the students were not enrolled in another school, nor were police contacted prior to the eventual investigation. The non-enrolment process for both girls was not initiated until September 2020, two years after their deaths. Subsequent efforts included home visits, immigration checks, and attempts to contact the children’s mother, who by then was living in South Korea.
Hakyung Lee was found guilty of murder last September and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. The Ministry of Education has commissioned an external review to identify the root causes of the failures and implement improvements. Work is also underway to establish an information-sharing agreement with police and streamline processes with Oranga Tamariki to prioritize child welfare concerns.
The frequency of checks with Immigration New Zealand regarding students who have left the country has been increased from six-monthly to monthly, as of August 2025, to improve the timeliness of identifying returning students.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the delay in identifying the children’s absence?
Ministry documents show the ENROL system failed to require the school to submit a non-enrolment notification when the children were withdrawn, and issues within the system contributed to the delay in referring the case to attendance services.
What steps is the Ministry of Education taking to prevent similar incidents?
The Ministry has commissioned an external review, is establishing an information-sharing agreement with police, and is streamlining processes with Oranga Tamariki. They have also increased the frequency of checks with Immigration New Zealand.
When were the children’s bodies discovered?
The bodies of Yuna and Minu Jo were found four years after their murder, in 2022, concealed in suitcases inside a South Auckland storage locker.
Given the systemic failures revealed in this case, what further measures could be implemented to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in New Zealand?
