On the 29th (local time), it was reported that a Korean attorney was also a victim in the collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. This brings the total number of Korean victims in this accident to four.
According to the Korean community on the 31st, attorney Sarah Lee Best (Korean name: Gang Sera, 33), who is affiliated with the Wilkinson Stekroth law firm in Washington, D.C., was killed in this accident while on a business trip to Kansas with a colleague.
The Korean community expressed deep sorrow over the tragic news of attorney Gang's sudden passing, noting her devotion to her parents and intelligence.
A representative from the Korean Association of Clarksville, Tennessee, told Yonhap News Agency, 'Attorney Gang was in an accident while returning home from a business trip,' adding, 'It’s very sad to share this heartbreaking news.'
Seong-il Seo, chairman of the Korean Community Association of Greater Washington (KACC), which oversees 180 Korean organizations in the U.S., said, 'I plan to meet with the bereaved family to offer my condolences,' noting, 'I heard that some of the family members are staying in Los Angeles as attorney Gang's grandfather recently passed away.'
Attorney Gang graduated from Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she excelled academically and graduated summa cum laude. She had previously worked as a district court judge before practicing law.
She was approaching her 10th anniversary with her husband on the 21st of next month and had planned a honeymoon to Hawaii this May.
With the death of attorney Gang, the number of Korean victims due to this incident has risen to four. Korean-American teenage figure skater Gina Han and her mother Jin Han, along with Spencer Lane, a teenage male figure skater adopted from Korea, and his mother Christine Lane, have all passed away.
The Korean Community Association is expected to meet with the bereaved family soon to explore ways to offer support while also considering issuing a condolence statement.